Subvania
by Laina Inverse
Summary: It could almost be the adventure of a lifetime, if crash landing on an unknown world didn't come with so many caveats and addendums. For Trevor Belmont, Sypha Belnades, and Anna Torres, just surviving the crash of the Aurora was difficult enough. The alien planet clearly wants to kill them all... and down in the depths, a single survivor of a previous crash waits to die alone.
1. Prologue

Prologue

"-And in other news, today Alterra has confirmed the reports that the colony assessment ship _Degasi_ has gone missing in the arm of the Ariadne galaxy. The _Degasi_'s last known position was near the star 4546, where it was to start scouting the system for viable terraformable planets. It's unclear yet how Alterra will respond to this missing ship, but it is expected that search and rescue ships will be deployed to the Ariadne arm to search for the ship."

* * *

"Alterra has confirmed today that among the noteworthy crew aboard the small scouting ship was one of their own shareholders, Adrian Tepes. Tepes was reportedly serving duty as a biochemist for the small crew, getting some personal experience in the field before finalizing his degree. Tepes Industries has been reported to be in talks with Alterra to expedite a crew and a ship to find the Degasi in the near future."

* * *

"A statement released by Alterra has confirmed that while they have done their best to send several ships out in search of the missing _Degasi_, the lack of final position has made the search much more widespread and chaotic. Though they remain optimistic, it seems as though the ship may simply be lost in the darkness of interstellar space."

* * *

"Several ships have returned from their search for the _Degasi_ empty handed, and with no good leads. The last known position of the Degasi was scrambled due to local interference from the star 4546 and while the nearby planets are currently being checked, most captains were reported as saying the ship was, in all likelihood, simply gone."

* * *

"While not ruling out the chance of pirates having attacked the ship, Alterra has been forced to pull most of the SnR teams back due to instabilities in the local phastegate network cause by localized solar storms. Two ships remain out in the Ariadne arm of the galaxy, but after six months, it's not looking as though the _Degasi_ will be found."

* * *

"Eight months after the _Degasi_ was declared missing, Alterra has been forced to pull in all their ships to avoid a major solar upset in the Ariadne galaxy arm. No sign of the ship or its missing crew has been found in the widespread search."

* * *

"A rescue ship still on the hunt for the missing _Degasi_ sent out a distress call not long after reaching the the area of star 4546, citing multiple pirate activity. They were swiftly escorted back to safer territory, and Alterra has requested aid from several other Trans-govs in the hopes of clearing out that sector so that it may continue its search for the missing ship."

* * *

"Today, Alterra announced that due to various dangers within the Ariadne arm, they would no longer be able to send search and rescue ships into the area. While this elicited some protests from the families of the missing crew on the ship, Alterra promised that as soon as they were assured of the safety of the galaxy, they would return their efforts to tracking the lost ship."

* * *

"Several ships sent out by Tepes Industries to scour the Ariadne arm of the galaxy were reported destroyed by pirates today. The Tepes Industry ships had, according to information acquired anonymously, been sent there to seek the missing _Degasi_ colonial assessment ship, now missing for two years. While there is no information on who or what may have destroyed the ships, it has been known that the Ariadne arm has a nest of pirates that lurk on the fringes of occupied space. Our thoughts and hearts go out to the families of those missing and dead crews as they pass into the night."

* * *

"The furthest reaches of inhabited space are due to expand, as Alterra Corp launches a newly-constructed capital ship, carrying a phasegate bound for the Ariadne Arm.

"The Aurora will travel from spacedock on the edge of Alterra space, making hundreds of consecutive phasegate jumps through nine different trans-gov authorities, and arrive on the far side of the Ariadne Arm in three months' time. From there the command crew will pilot the ship beyond the final phasegate, arriving in the next solar system approximately 18 months later.

"There, the elite team of engineers will begin a 6-month construction project on the new phasegate, a multi-trillion credit investment. In the absence of existing infrastructure in the region, the vessel is equipped with advanced thermal and nuclear power facilities."


	2. One

One

Alarms weren't meant to be subtle, especially not maydays. The blaring klaxon had Sypha half out of her bed ready to fight someone before she managed to wake up the rest of the way and hear the announcement to abandon ship. Swearing, she kicked herself free of the blankets, and rolled out of the bed, flinging open her locker in one smooth motion to grab her emergency supply bag.

"'It's just a precaution_'_, they said," she muttered as she yanked on her boot. "'It'll never be needed,' they said."

She turned as the ship shuddered, barely managing to keep her balance to check on her roommate. For the past two months, she had gotten to know the short, auburn-haired woman named Anna Torres pretty well, and liked her. She wasn't as fond of her obnoxious cousin, but, well, Trevor could sometimes be cute. In his own fashion.

Anna was awake all right—hard to sleep though the noise and the shaking—but her eyes were wide and unseeing. Sypha cursed; usually Anna could work through situational anxiety—she had to, being a medical aide and all—but this had clearly short-circuited her brain. Which, unfortunately, they didn't have time to deal with _politely_.

She thrust her bag into Anna's arms, and yanked open her friend's locker, grabbing the other woman's bag for her, then turned and yanked Anna off the floor.

"Come on, we have to _go!_" Sypha said.

Anna blinked a few times, still clutching Sypha's bag on reflex alone, and followed stutteringly when she was pulled along behind. Much as Sypha hated to snap at her friend, there was no time to be nice or polite, they had to get to the lifepods _before_ they were launched.

It took Anna a few precious moments to regain proper coherency, which wasn't much helped by darkened corridors and shouting people. Still, she managed to pick up her feet and connect her brain well enough that when a steel beam from overhead came swinging down she succeeded in body-checking Sypha out of the way. The snapping wires and sharp metal missed them both by centimeters... but the people behind them weren't as lucky.

Anna would have turned to help, but Sypha maintained her grip on the other woman's arm, pulling her along firmly. There wasn't anything they could do for anyone at the moment, as harsh as it felt, and as much as it hurt.

Through a combination of luck and skill, they reached the lifepod bay on their side of the ship. Sypha dropped Anna's bag in, then pulled her friend forward, knowing that if Anna didn't get in first, she probably wouldn't get in at all.

"But.. Trevor!" Anna protested.

"He's down in the cargo decks, Anna!" Sypha snapped. "You'd never make it! And aren't you always telling me your cousin is too stubborn to quit?!"

Anna wavered, then dropped Sypha's emergency bag into the lifepod before climbing down the ladder. Sypha nodded firmly and followed, sealing the hatch behind them. As Anna secured the bags in the storage compartment—they didn't need them flying all over the place while they tried to make planetfall—Sypha checked the systems of the lifepod itself before strapping herself into one of the seats.

Anna made it to her own seat as the lifpod shuddered with the ship, bringing down the safety harness seconds before the lifepod launched. It felt like they hung for hours before gravity kicked in and they dropped towards whatever surface the ship had been careening towards; Sypha swore as Anna clutched the arms of her harness for dear life, whispering prayers to whatever deity might be listening that they would survive this ordeal in one piece.

When they hit an eternity later, it was hard. There was a whoomp noise from outside the lifepod as it began to sink, then bobbed back up to the surface of the water they had clearly come down on. The pod itself rocked rather violently from side to side, and Sypha swallowed hard, hoping that her stomach would stay in place. From the faintly green tinge to Anna's face, she suspected her friend was feeling the same.

It took a few minutes to steady, but before either of them could release their harnesses, the Aurora screamed by over their lifepod. The space ship hit barely ten seconds later, and the lifepod was launched hard through the water. They were tossed, and submerged at least twice, but their flotation device and gyroscopic balancer kept them upright, even if it could keep them from being disoriented.

With an almost bone-jarring thump, they stopped moving, though the water rushed around them for several minutes more.

"...Anna?" Sypha asked shakily. "Are you hurt?"

"I... I think I'm okay," was the equally tremulous reply. "Nothing... nothing feels like it's broken. Give.. give me a second to get out of this, and I can be... be more sure."

Sypha cracked her eyes open as Anna started fumbling for the release catch of the harness, then pushed it off. As the redhead staggered over to the storage case where their emergency bags were, Sypha emulated her, and very carefully got to her feet. She didn't entirely trust her shaking legs to hold her, but she manged to stay upright, and looked around the lifepod in moderate concern.

"I think we picked a lucky one," she muttered after a moment, rubbing her hands over her face. "So many of them were in need of proper maintenance..."

Anna just nodded, passing her the bag silently. Sypha took it and stored it under her chair now that there was no need for it to be secured, then looked up at the hatch. Overhead seemed to be brilliantly blue sky, touched here and there with white clouds and...

Sypha frowned.

"We're not bobbing any more," she observed.

Anna made a sound of agreement, fishing a scanner out of her bag.

"Do you think that means we hit land?"

Now Anna looked up, face still pale in the sunlight coming down from the overhead hatch. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, then flipped the scanner switch. Sypha just waited; she couldn't exactly blame Anna for wanting to have a moment before contemplating just what new trouble they were going to be in.

The scanner chirped the all clear and Anna let out another slow breath, then got back to her feet and scanned Sypha. Another cheerful chirp and the screen indicated again that they were both fine.

"I don't know," Anna said finally. "The bottom hatch looks blocked though, so it's pretty likely. We'll have to go up top to find out."

They both looked at the ladder, then Sypha pushed up the sleeves of her ship suit, and climbed up.

The hatch unsealed with a hiss and a pop, startling a strange bird-like creature that had come to investigate. Sypha pulled herself onto the roof of the lifepod and looked around, then let out a low whistle.

"We hit land all right, Anna. Come and see!"

As Anna climbed out, Sypha climbed down the side of the lifepod until her shoes hit the grass. The lifepod had been thrown well back from the edge of the shore; there wasn't much chance of the two of them getting the thing even _near_ the water, but at least that meant they had solid ground under their feet.

There was a lot of grass and sand where they were. Here and there were strange trees, almost like ancient palms, with wide bases that looked as though they had holes bored into them. A white sap seemed to be leaking out, and as she watched, one of the odd birds landed near one and seemed to sip up a few strands.

Movement behind her made her move aside as Anna climbed down to join her. Glancing down at her friend, Sypha was relieved to see that she had regained her ruddy coloration, though she was still trembling a bit. Not that she could really blame her...

"I don't see the ship," Anna said after a moment. "Or any other lifepods."

"The ship might be on the other side," Sypha replied, pointing at the long arm of stone that blocked their view. "We know it hit, there was no mistaking that. The water's still all agitated, look."

It was true; even though the waves weren't what they must have been when they were being tossed about, they were still hitting the shore much higher than the tide-line suggested they should be.

"I'm sure if we go back in and turn the radio on, we'll be getting a lot of complaints from everyone else who made it to their own lifepods," she continued, projecting confidence she didn't entirely feel into her voice. "And if we turn on our locator beacon, we can gather them all here, where it's safe!"

Anna gave her a dubious look then, but let out a slow breath, scuffing her feet briefly in the grass before she nodded.

"Okay. You're probably right. We should also see what other emergency stores might be in there to supplement what we've got in the survival bags."

Sypha smiled, but Anna was already looking away across the ocean with worry. After a moment though, she turned around and climbed back up the ladder, dropping down into the lifepod once more.

* * *

It was a good thing that Alterra tech was fairly intuitive and user friendly, Anna decided as she checked the readouts the computer was giving her. Any more complicated, and they wouldn't have been able to do much of anything.

The secondary systems were mostly up; somehow their radio hadn't been damaged in the tossing they'd received, but the locator had. Its components were simply read as missing, and no amount of restart attempts had convinced it to boot up. The radio, while on, hadn't intercepted any incoming signals either, and their one outgoing transmission—being lifepod 9, having hit dry land, two survivors, no injuries—had yet to be responded to.

But that didn't mean things were bad. No. Until she received verbal confirmation, either from the computer or from the radio, she was going to hold onto the hope that her cousin had made it to a lifepod, and survived.

Besides, Trevor was a Belmont. He'd always liked telling her that Belmonts could survive anything. True, he mostly said it for comedic effect, usually after falling flat on his face, or ass over teakettle, but he'd said it enough that she half-believed it was true. Trevor was simply _too stubborn_ to die easily.

"Do you think we ought to explore?" Sypha asked from where she was sitting on the floor. "I know we have enough rations for a few days, but trying to gather local food and water couldn't hurt."

"Exploring is... well... can we give it a day?" Anna asked a little plaintively. "We don't know anything about this world, and I'd like to see if we can't gather a few more survivors first."

"I mean, I could go out on my own, and-"

"And that's like the first rule you'd break in a horror movie or game," Anna interrupted. "Splitting up in an unknown, potentially hostile environment _never_ goes well, Sypha."

Sypha paused, then smiled ruefully.

"Okay, maybe you're right. We do have enough food and water to last us at least a week... Right?"

Anna nodded.

"A little more than that if we're careful and don't mind being a little hungry," she replied.

"So... we explore tomorrow, then?"

Despite her nerves, Anna couldn't help but smile. Sypha was a prominent xenobiologist, though she had been brought onto the Aurora more for her organizational skills and refusal to be intimidated by other people than because Alterra thought that they would need scientists. She was nice when it was called for, and sharp when it wasn't, but most importantly, she was a friend that could be trusted and counted on.

"Well, if I can figure out where the spare data pad in this thing is, anyways," she sighed a little, reaching into the storage compartment again. "That would at least let us know if the radio gets a ping while we're out."

"It may be that it doesn't have one," Sypha said with a grimace. "I overheard Trevor talking with a couple of the other maintenance people a couple days ago, complaining that the pods weren't all up to spec the way they're supposed to be."

Which was frankly worrying, but not altogether surprising. Alterra was a manufacturing trans-gov. That didn't necessarily make them good at keeping things in one piece.

"I guess we'll have to hope that my backup pad survived being thrown around in my bag like it was attached to a firework," she said with a sigh. "There's nothing else in here."

It was quick work to repack the bottles of water and the nutrient blocks at least, though she kept out one of each, and took a sip from the water before offering it to Sypha. She accepted it and took a sip herself, then set the bottle down on the seat where it would be out of the way.

"You have a backup data pad?"

"I have several, actually, but only the one made it into the emergency bag," Anna smiled ruefully. "It... I learned it was prudent to make multiple copies of things I wanted to keep. It's an older model, I've used it for a few years now, so I'm not sure how much free space it'll have, but it should sync to the rotation of the planet within a day and be able to give us a decent clock."

"Will it hook to the lifepod computer?"

"Yup. It's Alterra work," and she grinned wryly, "which means it syncs to other Alterra work, usually without asking first."

Sypha snorted in amused agreement, and Anna dug into her bag, puling out spare clothes and what few extraneous items she hadn't wanted to lose in case of emergency. The data pad had been cracked, but the auto-repair was already in the process of fixing the damaged screen, so she turned it on.

It gave a little whirring chirp, the Alterra logo spinning in the middle of the plas-glass for a coupled minutes as it finished booting. There was an answering chirp from the lifepod as the two linked, and Anna let out a small sigh.

"Okay. That's done. Now if we get a message while we're looking around, we'll know. For now..."

The sunshine seemed to be fading already, and Anna found herself stifling a yawn. Now that the major emergency was done and over with, the fact that she'd only slept for three hours was starting to catch up with her.

"I think I want a nap," she admitted. "What about you?"

"...you know, I like that idea," Sypha said slowly. "I thought I was more awake than this, but now that we've been sitting for a bit, suddenly I'm tired again."

"Ah, adrenaline," Anna smiled wryly. "I'm going to close the hatch, okay? Just in case."

"Sounds like a plan. Where's the light control...?"

Anna poked her head out from the top of the pod, reaching for the handle of the hatch, and looked around; what had been full daylight only a few minutes ago was trending into sunset, which suggested that the planet had a quicker rotational period than the one they'd launched from. Adjusting would be interesting, as the Aurora had kept to the old earth twenty-four hours system, but they wouldn't know how long a full rotation was in comparison to that until.. well.. another day or so had passed, really.

She pulled the hatch down, sealing them in with a soft hiss, then slid back down the few rungs to the lifpod floor. Sypha had found the light switch and turned them down enough that they wouldn't be too bothered, and was already curled up under one of the emergency blankets, using her bag as a pillow.

"All clear out there?" she asked, her tone gently teasing.

"Mmhm. Already getting dark, so I think we picked the perfect time to go to bed."

Sypha laughed, and Anna made herself as comfortable as was possible in the cramped lifepod.

"Anna?"

"Hmm?"

"The fabricator works, right?"

"It should. Primary and secondary systems are online. Why?"

"Just wondering. We should go through and see what it can make us in the morning," Sypha yawned a little, closing her blue eyes.

"Yeah... 'night."

"Good night~"

Anna stared at the dimply lit ceiling of the lifepod for several long minutes more before rolling onto her side and firmly closing her eyes. She would have faith in Trevor, damnit. She _would_. He'd always been the surviving type, and surely he wouldn't let her down this time either.

She could only hope and pray to whatever deity might be out there that he would find some way to let her know soon.


	3. Two

Two

The radio light was flashing when they finally woke up, twelve interstellar hours later. The fact that the low buzz hadn't actually disturbed her told Anna just how exhausted and stressed the whole ordeal had made her; sleeping like a log was typically Trevor's thing, not hers.

Unfortunately, none of the messages contained anything that sounded like _good_ news. Lifepods had landed all around the Aurora crash site, but most were damaged, and there was no feasible way to get to them from where they were.

The fact that no one had come tapping at their pod suggested heavily that none of the crew who'd made the message had survived leaving their lifepods.

Anna and Sypha sat in the pod, nibbling nutrient blocks and sipping the water in thoughtful, and concerned silence.

"We should make sure the fabricator works," Anna said finally, getting to her feet. "We don't have anything we can use to make things right now, but..."

"But it would be a moot point to collect anything if it's broken," Sypha nodded a little.

Anna tapped the screen of her PDA, opening the fabricator's creation menu with only a little finagling, then looked at the machine as it somewhat begrudgingly flipped open. The arms didn't move as smooth as they should have, but it seemed to be in decent working order.

Or, well, _working order_ at least.

"Was there anything useful other than the food and water?" Sypha asked as Anna searched the available blueprints.

"I wish," and she grimaced a little. "If we had some titanium and rubber, we could at least have knives, which would come in handy with getting samples, and defending ourselves against whatever might be out there."

"Well, maybe we can make some of these things ourselves," Sypha said, her tone determined.

Anna had to smile a little, even as she closed the program, letting the fabricator fold back into itself.

"We can certainly try," she agreed. "We're going to need more space sooner rather than later... this pod is pretty cramped."

"Yes. So let's explore where we've landed and see what we can find!"

* * *

"Hey, Sypha?"

"Uh huh?"

"That's... a very big thing."

"Uh huh."

They hadn't expected too much from the island in all honesty. Perhaps sources of food and fresh water, maybe a view to see if they could figure out where the Aurora had landed so that they could use it as an orientation point.

They'd found the cave first, though it dead ended in a salt-water lake neither had been willing to swim in yet, and a pocket cave with a few shale outcroppings that the scanner suggested might hold valuable and useful materials.

They'd gone to the edge of the shore then, peering out over the blue-green water with the vain hope of seeing something. Anything really. Another lifepod, or even the wreck of the Aurora. What they'd seen had been a lot of little fish in schools that looked pretty, and a lot of empty ocean.

And then they'd turned around, and seen something sticking out around the point of the mountain their pod was tucked up against so snugly.

Ann just looked up at the tall obelisk that stretched up towards the blue sky and blinked several times.

"What _is_ it?" she finally asked.

"Definitely not human," Sypha replied.

They made their way across the sand, and around the strange creatures that tried to bite them—Sypha kicked the first one out into the ocean, like it was a soccer ball, and the rest seemed inclined to avoid them after that—revealing more and more of the strange structure as they approached. Waist high green lamps reacted to their presence by lighting up, though it wasn't necessary with the full daylight and cloudless sky, but it gave them something else to stare at.

Closer to the shore, dwarfed now by both the mountain and whatever the installation was, they found what looked to be a tablet, snapped in half. Anna crouched, scanning the thing as Sypha approached the building itself. A green-tinted barrier prevented her from entering, though a pedestal nearby opened up, displaying what looked to be the same symbol the table fragments had.

"Does the scanner say anything helpful?" Sypha asked.

"Only that the technology is well beyond anything in the federation," Anna replied a small frown on her face. "If we had the right components we could make a physical copy, but whether it would work or not, I can't say..."

"What are the components?"

Anna flicked through the blueprint files for a moment, then shook her head.

"Scanner doesn't say. I doubt a broken one will give us a whole lot to work with, admittedly."

Sypha sighed, but shrugged a little.

"It looks like there's a path that goes farther up and around," she said pointing. "Maybe there's more answers on the other side."

Anna nodded, though she didn't entirely share the sentiment; still, at least _one_ of them needed to remain optimistic, and she wasn't going to voice her worries aloud just yet. So they took the path, and Sypha let out a surprised noise at the sight of the intact tablet just laying out on the ground at the top of the path.

She picked it up and studied it curiously, then handed it to Anna, who looked equally mystified.

"Okay, let's just go with this is weird and not question it for the moment," she said, shaking her head and handing it back. "We could go back and see if this turns off that... forcefield? Or would you rather keep going?"

"Well, the path keeps going, and I think I'm sufficiently unnerved enough to not want to go back just yet," Sypha said with a rueful smile.

"Forward it is."

Around the curve of the island they finally saw what they had been looking for, and stopped short.

The Aurora was only barely submerged from the look of her; somehow the captain had managed to land the ship on her belly, instead of nose down, though whether that had saved any lives was still up in the air. Smoke rose from the far side, and they could make out a few flames that licked out from top and aft ends of the ship.

"...the damage must either be all on the other side or the belly," Sypha said after a stunned moment of silence. "How far away is that?"

Anna held up her datapad, tapping a button.

"Over a thousand meters," she replied after a minute. "At least an hour's swim, probably more... And that's assuming we can even get close. Considering the way it went down, I wouldn't be surprised if the internal reactors were damaged."

"Tch. Radiation," Sypha frowned and nodded. "Is there anything helpful in the fabricator blueprints?"

"No, unfortunately not. For safety, I'd say we should have radiation gear, but... it's not available. We _could_ make some standard wetsuits though, just using these plants," and she gestured to the tough grasses and wide-leafed shrubs. "That would give us something to wear in the water that's not these."

And she plucked lightly at the shipsuit pajamas she was wearing. Sypha smiled ruefully, nodding in agreement. While the everyday shipsuits could double as space gear, the sleeping version wasn't that versatile. And thanks to the fact that both of them had _been_ sleeping when the ship was hit, neither of them were really prepared for a swim.

"Probably one of the first things we should do then. Once we're done exploring~"

Anna nodded, then headed up the path to the right, though she noticeably hugged the interior side.

"Not a fan of heights?" Sypha asked.

"Not really, no. My... parent's house was on a crumbly cliff. I was always terrified that it would finally be too much stress and the whole thing would fall down."

"Oof. It never did though, right?"

"Well, it was still standing when I left for college, so it was sturdier than I thought. Doesn't make this part easier though," and Anna glanced over her shoulder at Sypha, smiling weakly. "I can do it, but I'll stay back against the wall, if that's all right."

Sypha nodded reassuringly, and they continued up the path, following the strange alien lights. The path diverted into a set of caverns, which they explored with care; even with the green lights showing them the way, it was dark enough to easily misstep.

After kicking away another one of the strange jumping creatures—it hit the wall with a crack that made Anna wince, though Sypha seemed satisfied—they came to another cavern and once again stopped short.

"That's... what _is_ that?"

"I have a feeling we're going to be asking that about most of what we find," Anna said after a moment. "Um..."

She held out the scanner, but it's finished chirp didn't tell them much of anything.

"Is this what old Earth excavators felt like, you think?" Sypha asked, peering over her shoulder at the minimal information the data pad gave.

"Probably. It seems too... simplistic, I suppose for a religious icon. But with it non-functional like this, there's not much chance we could figure out what it's for."

"Do you think the tablet we found would fit in that box there?"

"I don't know. Let's find out."

Whatever it needed, however, it was not a tablet.

"Maybe that's a spot for some type of power source," Sypha said, tucking the tablet under her arm again. "If the tablet gets us inside that building back there, maybe..."

"Maybe," Anna agreed. "Should we go back and try it? I don't think there's much more we can explore without making flashlights or flares."

Neither of which they'd had in the lifepod, or their emergency gear.

"There's still a little more path up," Sypha said as they returned to it. "Let's make sure there's nothing else first."

Anna smiled a little, nodded, and followed her friend up to the peak of the island. They found another shallow cave that held some promise of shelter, though it was occupied by several more of the biting jumping creatures. Sypha kicked several into the walls and the rest fled, but when Sypha would have turned to start down the path on the opposite side—it looked to be a more direct way back to the building—Anna paused, seeing an oddity in one of the creature's corpses.

It had glowing green blisters on its limbs, and some parts of its eye, and something about it was unnerving. With a frown, she pointed the scanner at it.

"Anna?" Sypha called.

"Hang on. Something's... odd."

"As if this whole place isn't..." There was a pause, then a very quiet Italian swear. "What _happened_ to it?"

Anna shook her head a little, tapping at her data pad with one hand while the scan finished.

"I've never seen anything like this in my texts," she replied. "But it definitely doesn't look good. Some type of alien bacteria at best."

"But how did it catch it? The other ones we've seen, they were annoying, but they didn't look like.. _that_."

Anna could only shrug as she scanned the entry the scan had given.

"...some type of waterborn pathogen... great. We can't avoid the water forever. There's a good chance we'll catch whatever this is, as will any other lifepod survives," she said finally. "But it doesn't look like _every_ creature has it, so maybe we'll be fine."

"That's not comforting."

She shrugged helplessly, getting to her feet.

"I don't know what it is, Sypha. The _scanner_ doesn't know what it is, which means it's something entirely new. It might be benign, it might be malignant. Without a lab, there's just... no way of being sure. I'm sorry..."

After a moment Sypha sighed, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"It's not your fault. I didn't mean to snap. Does the thing have a name?"

"It... well that's odd. It does. It's called a cave crawler... It's an annoyance, but a necessary one, sort of like rats or crabs."

They shared a puzzled look; how the scanner knew that much, but didn't know what the strange bacterium could be, was concerning.

"Do you think other people have been here before?" Sypha asked as they headed back down the way they'd initially come.

"It would seem that's the case," Anna said with a small frown. "If the scanner can hook into it, that means there's a functional computer somewhere on this world that's Alterra design, _and_ it means there's been someone able to do research on the flora and fauna in the area."

"Do you think we'll come across a person or a corpse?"

Anna just shook her head with yet another shrug.

"I suppose we'll just... have to wait and see."

* * *

They picked up a second purple tablet on the way down, but studying it gave them no further insight to what it might be, so it was tucked under Sypha's arm the same as the other one, and they made their way back to the front of the structure as the sky began to go orange and purple.

"...looks like the local day-night cycle is about fifteen and a half hours," Anna said absently. "Could be worse. Adjusting won't be easy..."

"We could just stick with the interstellar twenty-four," Sypha said.

"Our bodies probably will," Anna replied a little wryly. "At least for a little while. Which mean we'll be sleeping at odd hours for certain. Hopefully that won't affect the immune system too badly..."

"You're going to fuss about that?" Sypha teased.

"Well, until we find out whether any of the other medical team survived, I'm the only one who can, so... yes. Yes I am."

That made her chuckle, and she gave Anna a quick, one armed hug as they approached the building a second time. When the control panel opened up, she took one of the tablets she'd been carrying and moved to put it in, then yelped when it was practically yanked from her grasp, snapping into place.

The terminal closed, and the green barrier faded away, allowing them access to the interior of the building. Cautiously, carefully, they walked in.

"...I would _love_ to meet the people who built this," Sypha said, awed.

"I wonder what it's even made of," Anna said, lightly touching one of the walls. "It seems like it's been abandoned for a long time, but there's no dust, mold, moss, or rust. It's not even _damp_, and it's halfway into the ocean."

"Or all the way, if it goes down far enough."

Anna nodded, and they continued in. The shorter woman was more uneasy than emboldened by the silence, and drew closer to Sypha; Sypha looked down at her, then caught up her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

It helped.

A further few minutes later, they found what looked to be a terminal, though the writing on it wasn't in any sort of familiar language. Cautiously, Anna held out the data pad, touching it lightly to what seemed to be the manual keyboard; is still made her jump about a foot when the dsiplay abruptly vanished.

_Unknown language. Attempting translation._

The screen blanked for a few minutes, text scrolling by at a rapid pace then vanishing. Anna and Sypha both peered at it in concern until the main screen returned, a data file having tabbed open.

"...some sort of solid state computer drive, but it looks like our tech is incompatible."

"What sort of alien evolution could make it so that they could hear the data waves?" Sypha wondered as they moved away from the terminal. "What must they have been like?"

"Incredible, and probably scary," Anna said with a small smile. "I know it's kind of rude, but Trevor was into swords and sorcery gaming when we were younger, and all I can picture is those mind-flayers."

Sypha laughed.

"That said, I suspect if they were still alive, we'd have found at least one by now. Even if they're not human, every species we've encountered has been pretty defensive of their personal installations," she continued. "There's been no alarm, not even when we tripped the terminal, so it's likely there's no one here that can help us... What's that?"

At the base of the ramps, a pedestal had shifted upwards at their approach, holding a large, green-glowing cube. It seemed to glimmer, much like the walls of the installation, and after a hesitant moment, Anna scanned it.

"...it's an ion cube."

"A what?"

Anna shook her head.

"That's what the data entry says," and she pointed to the data pad. "Though from the looks of it, some of the infromation must've been from the alien data we tried to download."

The entry was a bit of a jumble between the data the scanner had found, and alien characters that weren't translateable.

"Basically, it's a big battery."

"...I bet if we take it up to the arch we found, we could use it there."

"That's a sucker's bet," Anna countered with a grin. "I've played enough cards with Trevor to know that."

Sypha snickered a little, half shrugging as she hefted the cube.

"...It'll be a bit awkward to carry all this _and_ explore," she said after a minute, setting the cube back down, and the remaining tablet with it. "And I want to see what else is in here, first."

Anna nodded a little.

"It might be prudent to return to the lifepod soon... I'm not sleepy-tired, but I could use something to eat and drink," she said, "and we've gotten at least one new radio message since we left that we ought to check."

Sypha hesitated, then nodded.

"All right. A break isn't a bad idea..."

"Especially when it comes from the medic," Anna said with a small smile.

Sypha snorted, and gave her friend a gentle push.

"If we empty out the emergency bags in the lifepod, we can use those to carry what we find," she said as they headed back up towards the entrance. "That would help some."

Anna nodded, but it was an absent nod; Sypha nudged her friend lightly, making her look up.

"Hm?"

"You seem... down. Are you worried about your cousin still?"

Anna half-smiled as they stepped out into the moonlight.

"I haven't really _stopped_ worrying about him. Did he make it to a lifepod, did it deploy correctly, is he hurt, is he safe..."

She sighed, absently hugging herself for a moment.

"He's got the some of the worst-best luck of anyone I've met, so there's a good chance that he survived, but also got hurt."

"Kind of like the time he climbed into the prawn suit on a dare?"

That made her laugh, as Sypha had hoped.

"I still don't know how he walked away from that one without being confined to quarters for at least a week," she continued, shaking her head. "Or what about the glitter war he started?"

"You mean the one that ended up with you tracking glitter into the room for three days?" Anna giggled. "Among other places?"

"Yes, that one! How did he _not_ get in trouble for that?!"

"He's charismatic, but only when he really wants to be," Anna replied with a small, fond smile. "You know that."

Yes, Sypha did know that. She also knew that despite his faults—and there were many—Trevor honestly cared about his cousin. If he'd made it to a lifepod, and that lifepod had survived, he'd be looking for her. Of course, that assumed his pod hadn't broken down in some way like the others in the messages they'd already received, but... well, optimistic thoughts.

They brushed off as much of the sand as they could before getting back into the lifepod, though this time they left the hatch open; no point in closing it if they weren't going to sleep. As Anna pulled out a bottle of water and a nutrient block for them to split, Sypha reached over and his the button on the radio.

"_This is Trevor, in lifepod five, coordinates attached. I've hit the water near the Aurora, and the anchor's holding. The area I'm in is shallow, and I'm far enough back from the ship to avoid the radiation. If anyone's still alive out there... Well, so am I._"

_Signal coordinates corrupted. Approximate transmission location recorded to data bank._

Silence fell in the lifepod again, and Sypha turned in concern. She had learned in the early months of sharing a room that Anna only _appeared_ detached from her emotions; she suspected it was a coping mechanism of some kind from the childhood Anna wouldn't discuss, but had never seen a need to press, and thus, never had. So seeing her friend on the verge of tears wasn't too surprising, or even worrying... mostly because those tears were accompanied by a smile of relief.

"Let's see if he's still in his lifepod," she said, keying the radio. "Lifepod five, this is lifepod nine. Belmont, are you there? Your cousin and I want some reassurance that you're not actually dead."

Behind her, Anna snorted, which was an improvement over the tears. They waited in a tense silence for a few minutes because the radio light flashed again.

"_Very funny Sypha. I had a panel in this damn thing make friends with my face, it's not _my_ fault it took me a day to fix._"

"Yup, he's fine," she said deadpan.

Anna snorted again, and made her way over to the radio.

"You fixed it, though?"

"_I fixed it,_" Trevor replied, his voice softening a bit. "_Though I had to do a lot of looking for stuff. Are you two all right?_"

"We're both in one piece, though we had a pretty bruising landing," Anna replied. "We hit actual solid ground after the Aurora's crash launched us through the water."

"_Well, I'll definitely try and find my way to you two. But I'm not getting a signal off your pod... Not even a corrupted one._"

"Our locator got damaged," Sypha confirmed. "And your signal is corrupted too."

"What sort of tools do you have right now?" Anna asked.

"_My pod gave me a knife, a scanner, a flashlight and a few things of food and water. I've managed to make the repair tool, and I found some parts for a seaglide, but not all of them. Not yet, anyways. What about you?_"

"We've got plenty of food and water, and a working fabricator. That's... honestly about it. Well, that and the stuff in the emergency bags, but no knives," she said.

Sypha nudged her lightly, but Anna shook her head. She wasn't going to tell Trevor about the strange island installation until they had something more concrete _to_ say about it. Sypha frowned a little, but shrugged lightly.

"_I can make up a couple and bring them to you once I have enough parts to make up a seaglide,_" he said, sounding far more confident than he probably should have in his situation. "_Can you tell me anything else about where you are?_"

"It's an island, about a thousand meters from the Aurora's crash site. Maybe.. north? Northwest? It's pretty tall, it'll be hard to miss."

"_I hope you're right; I haven't seen anything that looks like a mountain from where my pod is. Some cloudy looking masses though. Maybe one of them is hiding it._"

"Maybe..." Anna chewed her lip uncertainly. "You're really doing all right?"

"_I'm fine, Anna_," and there was some fond exasperation in his tone. "_I was out for a bit, but the scanner said I didn't have any kind of permanent damage. You know me, head hard as a rock._"

"And sometimes thick like one too," Sypha teased.

Anna snorted, and there was a few moments of spluttering from Trevor at the other end of the radio.

"_In any case, I need to get back into the water soon; those seaglide parts won't find themselves, and I got a ping from one of the other downed lifepods that landed near the seamoth bay. And yes, Anna, I'll be careful. But I can't just sit here and wait for rescue._"

Anna half-smiled, concern writ loud on her face.

"Okay. But Trevor, you should know that there's some kind of alien bacteria in the water. Keep an eye on yourself, okay? And don't touch anything with glowing green blisters."

"_...right. Got it. Avoiding things that glow green_. _I'll do my best. Lifepod five out._"

She sighed tiredly, then shook her head a little. One less thing to worry about, at least.

"Why didn't you say anything about the installation, or that.. arch thing?" Sypha asked.

"Because Trevor liked to watch a lot of the old earth classics, back before we'd expanded out into space," Anna said, shaking her head a little. "If he heard there was something alien here, he'd try to make a beeline right for us."

"But... oh. No extra equipment."

"Mmhm," Anna nodded. "No seaglide to make it easier or faster, limited food and water, and no knowing what's between us and him. If he thinks we're snug and safe, he won't put himself in danger trying to rush things. And... well, we _mostly_ are snug and safe. The only troublesome things we've come across are the cave crawlers, and if you keep kicking them, I'm pretty sure we won't have anything to worry about there."

Sypha snorted, and shoved her friend gently.

"He'll be annoyed once he does get here."

"He can be annoyed as long as he gets here _safely_. We should probably eat, and maybe nap after. We're going to have to keep our energy levels up if we want to keep exploring."

* * *

Survivor's log, Anna Torres

We've done pretty well so far. Trevor's okay too, which really helps. Given how protective he can be, I'm hopeful that he'll turn up in a few more 4546B days. Adjusting to the hours is going to be rough, but I think we can all do it. That, or we're all going to be staying up for two or three 'days' in a row and then passing out because we're too clock in to the interstellar twenty-four cycle.

Sypha and I are unharmed; I wish I'd been aware enough to put on my ship shoes though. Wandering around barefoot makes me worry about what sort of things might creep in through my skin. Like that alien bacterium. I wonder what it is? With any luck, we'll be able to convince the fabricator to turn the local grasses and plants into fiber so that we can make ourselves some proper gear.

The alien installation worries me; something about it feels... strange. Maybe it's the power signature it's giving off, I'm not sure. I almost wish we'd landed back in the water, but at the same time, I'm glad we hit land. The ion cube we found represents a wealth of energy Alterra only _wishes_ it could make, and the tablets... I hope there's a chance to interface more with the computers in the installation itself, though I doubt we're going to get a lot of useable information. The tech is simply too far beyond what we currently have... a little like trying to interface a PDA with a mid-20th-century television. It could possibly be done, but I'm no engineer...

We're going to go deeper in tomorrow, and then I think we should see what the ion cube does to the pedestal in the room where we found the arch. Maybe it'll be a communications tower of some type, and we can piggyback a proper distress signal onto that.

Still... something brought down the Aurora. Maybe it would be better if people stayed away until we knew what it was.


	4. Three

Three

"_Lifepod nine, I hope you're hearing this, because there's going to be one hell of a boom in about five seconds._"

The radio woke Anna; the following explosion woke Sypha. Sypha launched herself up the ladder of the lifepod, while Anna scrambled for the radio.

"Trevor, what just happened?!"

"_Quantum detonation in the drive core, according to my PDA. Front of the Aurora's blasted _all_ to hell. Also, I'm fine. Bobbing around like a goddamn cork, but I'm far enough away that I'm not going to be hit with the radiation._"

"Still, that's not good. If the drive core went, that means there's definitely damage to the reactors..."

"_Yeah, I know. My PDA had a radiation suit uploaded to it. Will you be very annoyed if I focus on that and fix the ship so that it doesn't become a nuclear bomb?_"

Anna half-closed her eyes, grimacing a little.

"No. But I'll be worried, so you'd better make sure that helmet has some sort of radio tie in, you hear me."

"_Fusspot._"

"Yes, and?"

"_I'll do what I can, but I don't know how to add in something extra if it's not already in there,_" he replied with a small sigh. "_Look, don't hover by the radio all day, okay? I know you're worried about what's in the water, and I'll damn well try and get to you, but you may also have to come to me if you can._"

She let out a slow breath, nodding, even though he couldn't see her.

"I know. We're going to look around a bit more and see what we can find on dry land first. If we find something worth shouting about, you'll be the first to know."

She felt a little guilty about lying like this, but he didn't need to be distracted by worrying about them. Better he think them safe and snug than hurt himself.

"_Right. Look, I can guess you're sitting on a big secret cause you have that tone of voice, but I'm not going to ask right now because the ship is a bit more worrying. You're going to tell me _everything_ later though, you know it._"

Despite herself, she laughed.

"Okay, okay. Maybe by that time, I'll have something worth telling you about."

"_Why do I think you already do?_"

"Because you're occasionally perceptive. It's nothing bad Trevor. I just want to explore it a bit more before I say anything. Make sure of what I know."

"_Uh huh. Saying it like that doesn't inspire any sort of confidence._"

"Your faith in my is _astounding_."

He chuckled.

"_Look, I'm going to use the available light; my flashlight battery already died on me, and I can't make a new one yet. I'll call again in a few hours._"

"Okay. Don't be too reckless. Lifepod nine out."

A few minutes later, Anna heard Sypha climbing back up the side, and she looked up as her friend stuck her head back into the lifepod blue eyes wide.

"The whole front end of the Aurora has blown off!" she exclaimed. "Part of the top is gon too! What happened?!"

"Trevor said there was a detonation in the drive core," Anna replied. "He's going to put the seaglide on hold in favor of a radiation suit and some batteries so he can go and fix the radiation leaks coming from the ship. He _says_ he'll be careful..."

"You want to be there with him though, just in case."

Anna nodded, hugging herself absently.

"We should god find out what else is in the building then," Sypha said practically. "And then find out what the ion cube does if we give it over to that arch. Yes?"

"...okay. Yes. Let's go do that."

* * *

"...well then. That's... a thing."

"Uh huh..."

The had explored the rest of the facility more with speed than anything else. Another console had given them some very basic specs to work with; mostly a map, that the translation software had decoded enough for them to find their way around. After electing to _not_ go deeper—a security sealed elevator didn't inspire confidence that they'd be able to access it—they'd instead returned to the cavern with the alien arch inside.

The sight of the Aurora had stopped Anna cold for a few seconds. Hearing what it looked like and actually _seeing_ it were two separate moments, and it took her a bit to compose herself. The entire front end of the Aurora had been blasted off by the explosion, as Sypha had said, and it was clear even from the distance they were at that a good portion of it was on fire. Smoke rose from the devastated space ship, as did more angry orange flames.

Sypha had tugged her along after a few minutes, and they'd continued up to the arch. The cube, once exposed to the pedestal, had been magneted in, more or less the same way the tablet had been in the forcefield control panel.

And the arch had sprung to life with a wavering, glowing green portal.

"...if we walk through this without testing it first, your cousin is going to be _so_ annoyed," Sypha said finally.

"As if Trevor wouldn't immediately dive in," Anna said a touch dryly, shaking her head after a minute. "Look, there's some plants over there. Let's toss them through first."

The portal made _sounds_, like some sort of viscous liquid, as they carefully lobbed things into it. Nothing appeared on the other side, and after a long minute, Anna cautiously stuck her fingertips into it.

"...nothing hurts," she said, inching forward. "If anything it feels... chilly. Sort of like sticking your fingers in pudding."

"I'm so telling Trevor you did that."

"Well, _one_ of us had to," Anna replied.

"Yes, but you're the _medic_. Don't take unnecessary risks!"

Sypha huffed at her, and Anna couldn't help but smile a little.

"Okay, okay. Sorry. Let's see where it goes then, shall we?"

Before she could change her mind, she walked into the green light; in retrospect, perhaps not the smartest choice.=, but the only one they had at the moment.

It felt a little like being shot though the underground in one of the pneumatic trains. Except she couldn't tell if Sypha was behind her, beside her, or even ahead of her. There was no up or down, there was only the green light that flashed by. Anna closed her eyes, or thought she did, and staggered when the feeling of movement suddenly ceased, dropping her into a cavern supported and lit by more alien metal and lights. Sypha joined her a moment later, looking as green as the shimmering portal behind them, and sat down hard.

"I don't know what that was, but it was... ulp... very rude," she said.

"Uh huh... Deep breaths," Anna advised, looking around the cavern.

Sypha did that, keeping her head low as Anna cautiously poked around the cave. There were a number of the local indigenous plants around, unfortunately inedible, along with plenty of the tough grasses and rubber-liked plants that had dotted their own island.

"Sypha, I found a way out," she called after a few minutes. "Can you stand?"

"...I think so..."

It took two tries and Anna going over to support her for a few minutes before Sypha was steady on her feet again.

"If it's like that again, I'm not taking it a third time," she warned.

Anna smiled wryly, gently patting her friend on the back.

"Okay. Let's see where we've ended up, huh?"

Sypha nodded, and they carefully climbed the path towards daylight.

As Anna emerged into the sunlight, she lifted a hand to shield her eyes, then stopped and stared. From where they stood, the aft end of the Aurora was prominent, absolutely on fire, but intact. Trees with glowing underleaves , and plants that reminded her of pitcher plants dotted the angled hillside before them, as did the bulbo trees. The environment reminded her significantly of images of the tropical vistas of old earth, and she found herself wondering if that was significant in any way.

"...I think there's a path over there," Sypha said, tugging her arm lightly. "We should see where it goes."

Anna nodded, carefully following her friend and trying to avoid stepping on any of the sharp rocks that seemed to litter the dirt path. Down only led back to the ocean, so Sypha went up, around a hole in the island that looked invitingly blue, and stopped short, almost causing Anna to run into her.

"Look up there! It's a habitat!"

Anna followed her pointing hand, and blinked.

Somehow situated at the peak of the hill, there was indeed a habitat. Or rather, what was left of one. It looked Alterran in design, but also as though it had been abandoned a long time ago.

"I wonder if this is where the data we've been getting about local plants and animals came from," she said after a moment as they started climbing towards it.

"Maybe that means it still works."

"Maybe," but Anna eyed it doubtfully. "I'd think more if it does it's on emergency power. It's been through a lot..."

Sypha scoffed a little, but gently.

The island proved to be much bigger than their initial landing spot, and about as friendly; cave crawlers took the occasional nip at them, and were summarily punted, and paths wound close to the edges of cliffs, forcing Anna to hug the mountain in spots to avoid looking down. A water landing from this height would break something, and a first aid kit couldn't fix that.

"What are _those?_" Sypha asked as they rounded the bend and found themselves staring at a small grove of tree with gently glowing orange fruits. "Are they edible?"

"...ye-es," Anna said after a moment, "but they're not very useful. We'd get more water out of the bulbo trees than a lantern fruit."

Sypha looked disappointed, and picked one anyways, biting into it curiously.

"...taste like cardboard," she admitted.

Anna laughed.

"I warned you~ Come on, it looks like... madre de Dios..."

Before them was the wrecked remains of a habitat. Sypha grimaced a little, inspecting the damage.

"We'd need a lot of titanium to fix that up," she said after a minute. "Glass too..."

"Sypha, to fix that up, we need a _prawn suit_, and Trevor," Anna said, too startled to be tactful.

"That too. Hey. Those look like terran plants!"

Sypha started forwards to what looked like the remnants of a planter of some type, tugging Anna along with her. Sure enough, the plants proved to be of old-Earth stock; marble melons and Chinese potato plants.

"There _were_ other survivors!"

"Not recent ones," Anna pointed out, even as she carefully cut a melon from its vine. "But the look like they were carrying Alterra supplies. What were they doing out here?"

"Survey work, maybe?" Sypha offered.

"...maybe..."

Something about it niggled at the back of her mind; something Alterra had been involved in years ago.

"Sypha, I'm going to go back to the portal, and go get our bags from the lifepod," she said after a minute. "And I'm going to leave Trevor a message if he's not back at his. Do you want to come too, or go have a look at the base up there?"

"Well, since you don't like heights, and I don't want to deal with that portal again so soon, I think I'll go have a look around the base."

Anna nodded, and handed her the scanner.

"Be careful, and take notes~"

Sypha laughed, and shoved her friend very gently.

"Go tell your cousin what we've found! I bet he can find this island a lot more easily than the first."

"...you just want to watch him stagger through the portal."

"Maybe~ You never know, it could be entertaining enough that I come through again."

Anna laughed, and shook her head. Maybe splitting up like this was a bit reckless, but the melons and potato plants would be good to have on hand. And thus far, outside the cave crawlers, nothing had actively gone after them. So it was _probably_ safe enough.

Probably.

* * *

Sypha watched Anna descend for a few minutes before approaching the wrecked base. One of the windows had been broken so thoroughly that there weren't even _shards_ to worry about, though that could also have been from however long the base had sat there, being a derelict. She found another tablet among the wreckage, but the rest of the base was nothing more than weeds, moss, and silence.

The silence was the eerie part... sure there was the sound of the ocean outside, the ground under her feet, but that didn't make it feel less strange. Maybe it was just because she was used to lots of voices... her family wasn't small, and then she'd gone to the city to work as a biologist, and from there became part of Alterra... and then being picked to join the Aurora for her work, and her skills in record keeping...

No, she didn't much like the silence.

She huffed a small sigh, leaving the base and dusting the dirt from her hands. Tempting to wait for Anna, but Anna had already had enough trouble climbing the narrow path once. Getting up to that precariously balanced base... well, it wasn't something she wanted to put her friend through. So she started up the path, absently tracking the shadows as the sun moved across the sky.

"At this rate, I'm going to have to spend the night up there," she muttered. "And Anna will be down here by herself..."

Sypha shook her head a little, raking her fingers through her hair. No point in worrying about it now. She was going to find out what was in that base.

* * *

"_Wait, let me get this straight. You found a glowing green portal, and you just... walked _through_ it?!_"

"Don't be ridiculous Trevor, we tested it first."

"_It could have dropped you at the bottom of the ocean for all you knew, Anna!_"

She sighed.

"The point, Trevor, is that it didn't. We found another island, one that you can probably find much more easily than this one, with a derelict habitat, and terran foods that are theoretically much safer than anything in the local ecosystem."

"_And you call _me_ reckless_."

She could practically _see_ the pout on his face.

"Trevor, you took a prawn suit out for a space walk on a _dare_ before you'd finished your certification training," she retorted. "And almost depressurized it out there too, _without the proper gear_, so I think you can let this one go, hmm?"

There was radio silent for a minute; she understood his frustration, but really, what other options had they? Her recklessness had been calculated, and he was just going to have to deal with it.

"_You had a clear view of the ship's ass?_"

"...Trevor, it's called the aft, and you know it."

"_That's what I said~_"

She half-smiled with a small sigh.

"Yes. But don't do anything more reckless than usual, okay?"

"_Anna, we're on an alien planet, and there's things in the water that really want to kill and eat me. I'm not sure that's even _remotely_ possible._"

"_And_ you're trying to fix the Aurora on your own."

"_Yes, that too. Look, you're supposed to be the sensible one, you know?_"

She shook her head a little; sensible. Right. He'd left home the moment he was able to be emancipated, she'd stayed until she couldn't stay any longer.

"We may have different definitions of sensible..."

"_Anna._" The exasperation came through loud and clear, and then his tone softened. "_Look. The point is, don't take stupid risks. That's my job._"

Despite herself, she chuckled a little.

"Yes, well, you're not here to take the stupid risks for me, so I have to take them myself."

"_...I suppose that's fair. But... minimize them? Please? For your adoring cousin?_"

"I wish I could, Trevor... Anyways, how are your efforts going?"

He sighed, a sound full of annoyed exasperation, which made her smile. It wasn't done being discussed, not by a long shot, but he obligingly went with the change of subject.

"_It could be worse. I've got about half the materials I need, but I ran out of the supplies in the lifepod. I'm going to have to start eating the fish and hoping they can cover what I need. Also, some of these fish are _damned_ annoying. I think either tomorrow or the day after I'll have enough things together that I can make the radiation suit and a couple of fire extinguishers... With luck, that'll get me into the ship, and once I fix the reactors, I'm taking everything that's not nailed down that I can get to._"

It made her laugh, as he'd no doubt intended.

"You've got even less storage space than we do, that's going to take you a lot of trips," she pointed out.

"_Well, then I'll make lots of trips. If it gets me more supplies, it'll absolutely be worth it. But,_" and he sighed, "t_hat means I have to go back out before I lose what's left of the light._"

"Okay. You be safe, all right?"

"_Safe as I can be. Lifepod five out._"

* * *

Survivor's log, Anna Torres

Probably should have stayed with Sypha on the other set of islands. Oops.

It's kind of nice to be alone, though. It's been a while since I've really had my own space. Not that I dislike Sypha or anything, she's really nice, and... well, it's been a long time since I've felt I could trust someone the same way I trust Trevor. But... I did miss having space for myself too.

The portal is off-putting, I have to admit. Maybe if we keep using it, we'll get used to it, but it's definitely not made with human physiology in mind. Hopefully Sypha's next trip through won't be so rough on her. She was positively green.

If we can, we should make portable radios. Sypha's probably worried about me now, but I can't do much for that. Even with the alien lights, I'd rather not risk walking up these paths in the dark... the last thing I need is to fall into the water from so high up; I'd break something and then Trevor would _really_ be upset.

I'm a little unnerved about the scanner having all this information. It has to be hooking into an Alterran database computer somewhere on the planet, but where? Who's been here before, and how did they get off? Did they avoid being infected by the strange bacteria? How will _we_ avoid being infected by it?

I hope Trevor's okay. He's been consistently in the water since he came to after the crash. Not that he had much choice, but still. His chance of infection is currently much higher than ours. He hasn't _said_ anything yet, but he wouldn't... Even if it's bothering him, he'd stay quiet until there's no other choice...

The things that stick with you from childhood...

There's enough grasses near the lifepod. Even though it's dark, I'll see if I can pull some to make wetsuits. If it's going to be inevitable that we get in the water, I'm at least going to make sure we have as much of the proper gear as we possibly can. An ounce of prevention vs. pound of cure and all that.

Also, I need shoes.


	5. Four

Four

The data pad Sypha handed her was decidedly inoperable. The cracked screen hadn't fixed itself, and a few components hung in jumps from the handhold.

"It was in the observatory up there," and she pointed to the part of the habitat that had been situated at the island's peak. "Only sign of other people outside the bases themselves."

Anna nodded, tucking it into her carry bag.

"Trevor has a repair tool, so once he finds us, or we find him, we can see about extracting the files from it. Maybe it'll tell us how they escaped, or where they went since no one's up here with us..."

"I hope so. How's he doing?"

"Still alive. He thinks it's going to take him another couple of days to get all the pieces he needs, so we're still on our own for a bit. Bit I told him how to find this island... with luck, he'll make it here."

"And even if _we're_ not here, the portal is," Sypha said with a small smirk. "So we won't be hard to find."

Anna chuckled a little.

"You just want to see how it affects him," she said knowingly.

"Hey, if I have to suffer, I don't see why he shouldn't suffer too."

Now Anna laughed, shaking her head a little. Trevor and Sypha had been dancing around one another since they'd first met, and while she sometimes had a bit of trouble figuring out where the bickering stopped and the flirting started, she had few doubts that they would end up doing _more_ than flirting at some point.

"Well, we're all going to suffer this place at some point. I wish we had a habitat builder... Even as rusted and broken as this one is," and she gestured lightly to the broken part they stood before, "it could give us some materials to work with."

"We'll definitely have to start from scratch here," Sypha nodded a little. "It's been abandoned for years; nothing works, not the doors, not the lights, not even the desks. There's vines growing on everything, and what's left is rusted almost clean through."

Anna nodded.

"Outside of the cavern where the portal is, there's not really a lot of available space on the island... on _either_ island, really. We might have to go _really_ old school and make lean to shelters from the trees," Sypha continued.

"Oof," Anna smiled wryly. "That'll be fun. Where do you think we should start?"

* * *

As far as base camps went, it wasn't _pretty_, but it was functional. They'd picked a spot on the lower cliffs, near the cavern with the portal, and done what they could to clear away some of the overgrowth. It took effort—some of the shrubs were rooted in pretty deeply—but they cleared what they could and left what they couldn't.

The tough grasses and shrubs got taken back through the portal by Anna to be turned into fiber mesh until they had enough for two wetsuits and some spare clothes. Once they had the suits—complete with full facemasks, even if they didn't yet have air tanks to connect those masks _to_—it was time to get their feet wet.

"Are you sure about this?" Sypha asked as they approached the water.

"No, but I don't see another option," Anna replied. "There's no loose metals up here, and we need to at least find some way of making flashlights so that we stop half-killing ourselves in the darkness. If we can find some metals that give us oxygen tanks, all the better."

It hung in the air between them; what if they couldn't find anything? But neither woman voiced the thought aloud, they just made their way down to the water's edge.

"Are you sure we should _both_ go in?" Sypha asked instead. "One of us should maybe stay here, in case Trevor decides today's the day he's going to find us."

"And if you get hurt down there?" Anna countered. "Believe me, I'd love to wait for Trevor, he's got a good portion of the equipment we need. But splitting us isn't a sensible choice right now. We have to stick together."

"I just... don't want you to get hurt."

"I don't want you to get hurt either, but we don't really have the luxury of not taking a risk," And Anna's smile was ruefully lopsided. "If there's loose materials just hanging around the way Trevor says, we need to find some of our own."

Sypha sighed.

"All right... Let's get this over with, then."

Anna nodded, and they both stepped into the ocean.

* * *

It was _very_ disconcerting to realize that the island was not—as island typically were—attached to the sea floor. The stone was being held up by massive amoebas that were affixed to the bottom. This discovery had necessitated both women shooting back up to the surface to get the air that had inadvertently escaped when they'd laid eyes on the creatures.

"What _are_ they?" Sypha asked, eyes wide.

Anna only shook her head wonderingly. How was it holding up the island? It was _massive!_

After a few moments of shared stunned silence, they both took new breaths and dove back under the island to get a better look. Along with the amoebas, there was some type of coral that the scanner decreed useless, and some pretty bioluminescent plants that reminded Anna of sea anemone. They were named, but no record of them was in the data pad's files.

Unfrotunately, the floating island did _not_ loan itself to loose metals, and while they could hold their breaths for quite a while, it was not enough to reach where it looked like viable materials could be found.

"We could check around the other island," Sypha said as they made their way back to their rough camp.

"I don't see that we have other options," Anna said with a nod and a sigh. "We definitely need the materials for oxygen tanks... I think I bruised my lungs trying to hold my breath for so long."

Sypha grimace in sympathy; her own chest was feeling rather tight as well, and all that swimming was exhausting.

"After we sleep?" she said.

"Definitely."

* * *

The trip back to the first island proved to be much more fruitful. The filled their bags with lithium, a hunk of gold and a few diamonds even before jumping into the water. They couldn't go very far in the basic wetsuits, only holding their breaths, but they managed to fins some shale outcroppings at safely diveable levels.

And then the creature just _appeared_ not more than fifty meters away. It started both of them enough to gape and lose precious air, which meant neither one could really get a good look at it. They looked at each other once they were above the water, then back down

"...I think we should be done swimming for today," Sypha said after a long moment.

"Yeah. I'm good with that. Let's see if we can make anything with what we've got."

* * *

They saw the creature again when they went back the following morning, and yet again on the third. It was too far down to approach for a scan, and just eyeing it from where they were didn't give them any _real_ details.

"Are those _claws_ or something?" Sypha asked as they exited the cave, shaking her head.

"I don't know. The data pad functions are limited under water, so I can't get a good shot of it with the camera," Anna replied, frowning down at the PDA. "It certainly doesn't look like anything we've encountered so far..."

"Have you encountered anything trying to eat you yet, because boy do I have some _stories_ for y-hey!"

Trevor ducked and the data pad went sailing past his shoulder.

"Well that wasn't very nice," he said with a small pout. "I thought you'd be happier to see me."

"I really should just let her try again," Sypha said with a scowl as Anna scurried off to fetch the thrown pad. "Really, Belmont, you could have gone with _not_ scaring us."

"Well, I did think about it really hard, but how would you know you missed me if I didn't?"

She scoffed, then gave him a brief hug.

"We missed you, idiot," and she punched his shoulder gently when he let go. "You don't need to scare us to prove that point."

"Yes, please avoid that in the future," Anna said, brushing grass and dirt off the retrieved pad. "I almost gave you a second concussion."

Trevor grinned at both of them, and draped a casual arm around Anna's shoulders.

"I heard your voices and figured I was either finally properly going mad, or it really was you. What were you looking at?"

Anna called up the somewhat grainy pictures she'd been able to get, and showed it to him.

"...wow. That's a thing all right."

"You don't know what it is either?"

He shook his head as they sat down around the firepit at the base camp.

"Creepy looking though. Like something out of those classic horror movies."

Anna grimaced a little.

"What's it done? You don't look hurt, at least."

"Oh, we're not," Sypha said as she started the fire. "But it likes to just suddenly _appear_, and that's not exactly helpful to us gathering materials. It hasn't come after us, at least..."

"Probably only because we're staying in the shallows," Anna sighed a little. "I don't suppose you have any titanium on you, Trev? We need air tanks pretty badly. Just holding air in doesn't cut it for much."

"Welp, you're in luck," he said with a smug smile, reaching over and patting several oblong objects next to his bag. "I figured you'd need them by now. I got more food and water off the Aurora too, and I broke down so much of the hull that I have titanium overflow onto the floor of my lifepod," and he rolled his eyes theatrically, making Anna giggle. "So I made a couple survival knives too. Actually, I made a lot of things, so here, let's just figure out what all you need."

* * *

"-it was _massive_, almost half the size of the Aurora, I swear," he shook his head a little. "Meanest thing I've encountered so far, it did _not_ want to let me out of the wreck. Seems pretty centered around its territory though; once I was beyond that, it lost interest and stopped trying to eat me."

Sypha let out a low whistle, shaking her head.

"I can't decide if you have the best luck or the worst, Trevor," she said. "How many things have tried to take a bite out of you? We haven't even been here a whole week!"

"The thing that wants to be a gator, the damn fish that exploded in my face, something with _way_ too many teeth, this fucking red tadpole thing, and a giant alien sea serpent," he said, shaking his head. "Made me glad the auto-generated first aid kit station in my pod actually _worked,_ and sure as hell made me miss a proper med tech."

Anna snorted at him gently from where she was sitting with the repair tool and the broken data pad Sypha had recovered from the island's base.

"You just miss having someone fuss over you," she said, glancing up with a wry smile. "Flirting with a nurse for the fun of it."

"Ah, c'mon," he protested, grinning a little. "I was good when I needed to be."

"Somehow, I doubt that," Sypha said, lobbing a small lantern fruit at him. It missed, and he stuck his tongue out at her briefly.

"At least they were only superficial wounds," Anna continued, returning her attention to the broken pad as it sparked a bit ominously. "How've you been feeling?"

"You mean the times when I'm not swimming to save my ass?"

She glanced up, grinned, then yelped as the pad sparked sharply under the tool. Shaking her stinging hand, she muttered something under her breath that was decidedly impolite.

"Battery might be low on the tool," he offered. "It gets harder to fix things when it's acting like that."

"Are you carrying any spares?"

"Not on me, but I have plenty back at the lifepod. If you need it, I can-"

There was a ping from Anna's pad as the broken one lit up briefly, the cracked display making a haze of fuzz and obscuring most of the needed buttons. Quickly she hit the transfer files key, but the connection sputtered out after only a couple of minutes.

_Download interrupted; some files may be incomplete or corrupted. Retry?_

"No, no," she muttered, frowning at the broken data pad. "Come on you..."

Trevor shook his head a little in fond amusement.

"She's going to work at that until the battery really _does_ die," he said with a snicker.

"Well, she's got plenty of reason to," Sypha replied. "I found it in a makeshift medical bay. It might give her some clues about this bacterial infection in the water. Have you seen anything displaying the signs of infection?"

"What, glowing green sores? No, though I've seen a couple of Peepers that looked like they were trailing some type of orange glitter."

"Peepers?"

He nodded and scooted over to show her what he was talking about. Sypha blinked, then giggled at the fish.

"It's mostly eyeball. But it's somehow cute."

"When Anna's done messing around with that old broken one, I'll get a sync going so we can share files."

"I wish I'd remembered to put a spare in my emergency kit," Sypha said with a grimace. "I don't want to use Anna's for taking notes... It's _Anna's_, and shes probably got a lot of medical texts stored on it."

"Well, you're not-ow! ...wrong," Anna said, shaking her hand out again. "But there's more than enough room and even this old one for you to take xenbi notes, Sypha, I don't mind."

"Yes, well, _I_ mind."

Anna snorted in amusement at her friend and shrugged lightly.

"Maybe we can make one. It's just... what, glass, batteries, and computer chips, right?" Trevor asked.

"It's a lot more than that, but that'd be a place to start," Anna replied, setting the repair tool aside. "I think the battery is dead. Sorry..."

"Nah, it's fine. I can use the seaglide and get back to my pod tomorrow. I could probably bring all three bags packed with stuff, though it might take me a bit."

"How much weight can the seaglide tow?" Sypha asked.

"...I honestly don't know, why?"

"Well, two people going back and packing would be faster than one person hauling three bags," she pointed out reasonably. "You could fill a bag, and bring it back, while I filled the other two, and then just shuttle them back and forth until everything's moved here."

"Hmm..."

He leaned back thoughtfully, absently staring at the bioluminescent leaves as they swayed in the breeze.

"It seemed like six of one, half-dozen of the other to me," Anna offered after a moment. "Both ways would get you the same results."

"Okay then, what would our resident medic advise?" Trevor asked with a small grin.

"Firstly, not to sass her," Anna replied promptly. "Secondly, you've shown that you can here here with two unattached air tanks, survival knives, food, and water. That means the seaglide can tow you, and however much extra weight you were hauling, so an additional person wouldn't go amiss. While I wouldn't say packing would go _faster_ with two people, Sypha's better at tetrising stuff, and she's lighter than you are. She also has an entirely different underwater profile, which would throw off predators."

"Wait, so you're saying I should hang out here with you, and let Sypha do all the lifting and carrying?"

"I'm saying it's an option," Anna replied with a small shrug.

"I'm open to that. Trevor should get to see the other island, and everything on it, and you can show him around while I do that. I can join you after I'm done~"

Trevor looked at the two women, then held up his hands in surrender.

"Suddenly I'm reminded of why it's a bad idea to let you two work on a problem together," he grumbled half-heartedly.

Anna giggled as Sypha grinned.

"It is a sensible solution. The less weight, the easier it will be for the glide to glide," Sypha said. "Which will drain the battery less. It'll be heavier on the way back, but I'll be armed with batteries, right?"

"Yeah, I've made a few spares. Between the stuff you found and the stuff I have, we might even be able to make a habitat builder."

"That'd be nice. We've been lucky with the weather so far, but..."

Trevor grimaced.

"The weather turning is the last thing we need right now," he said. "We'd have to shelter in the cave."

"And if there's thunder and lightning mixed in, we'd have to stay out of the water," Anna put in absently, flicking her fingers over her data pad.

"...what did you get?" Trevor asked, a knowing smile on his face.

"Hmm?"

"You've got that look, Anna, what files did you pull?"

"Oh. Not many, honestly. But it looks like we were right, and there _were_ other people here at one time. There's... a couple log entries, and..."

She tapped an icon on her screen.

"_-be okay. You will see. You are a shareholder, __ja__? They will send someone to look for you, if for no one else._"

"_...Oh, my dear Dr. Montblanc. That's exactly why they __won't__ send someone to look-_"

Trevor and Sypha blinked, and looked at one another.

"That's the only audio log I got before it crashed again, but... I have at least two text files... the third got corrupted because it died mid-transfer," Anna said, flicking her fingers over the screen again. "When we replace the batter in the repair tool, I think I'll be able to get the rest."

"Okay, so what do the non-corrupted files say?"

Anna cleared her throat and started to read.

* * *

Degasi Ship's Log, Supplementary Entry 2

Acting Commander, Chief Medical Officer Liesse Montblanc

Preliminary dives have shown that the island is actually floating, apparently supported by some sort of air sac structure. We are in comparatively shallow water, which makes gathering resources more practical than it might otherwise be. There is a great deal of biodiversity in the water, though comparatively little on land. What little animal life we have encountered on land seems to be amphibious, while plant life seems to be largely tropical in nature.

We've found more salvage on the ocean floor, and Scott thinks that an entire segment of the aft section might have come down in the shallows nearby. We should be able to break it down if it has and reconstruct it into more permanent shelter and equipment. We've caught a few specimens of the native fish, and Tepes says from what he can tell they should be edible, though of course without a proper lab he's making an educated guess. We'll have to chance it; our rations won't last more than a few days, and we'll need to supplement them with fish and edible plants found locally. We'll also need a reliable source of water. The ocean water is too saline to be suitable for drinking. With enough materials and a power source, Scott says he can build a desalination system, but for now, we'll have to handle it in a more primitive way.

We have not encountered any other survivors yet, though we have found two damaged and empty escape pods. We are unsure if they were accidentally launched with no passengers or if they were abandoned after planetfall.

Degasi Ship's Log, Supplementary Entry 5

Acting Commander, Chief Medical Officer Liesse Montblanc

We have discovered traces of previous inhabitants on this planet, in the form of some sort of artifact or inscription, as well as an obviously constructed archway higher up on the island. There are no other ruins associated with it, so it's possible it was ritualistic or symbolic in nature. We have been studying it in our down time, but there is not much to be gleaned from it with just the scanner.

We nearly lost Scott and his seamoth to a Leviathan-class lifeform in the deeper water. Fortunately, he was able to escape and make it back to base. He is unharmed, though his seamoth will require extensive repair. We are unsure if the Leviathan was hunting for food or simply territorial. It did not seem inclined to pursue him out of the trench he encountered it in. Fortunately, the seabed is rich in mineral deposits, so the resources to do so are relatively easy to obtain. Scott believes he will be able to repair the seamoth in a few days. Tepes volunteered to help dive for resources; he has been working indoors or underwater during the daylight hours to minimize exposure. We are trying to find something that can be used as an effective sunblock.

Both Scott and I are starting to show some sort of skin ailment, possibly a reaction to some of the native plants or coral. So far, it appears to just be irritated, discolored patches on our skin. We will try some of the general purpose medication that was in my survival kit and see if that helps clear it up. Otherwise, our general health seems fairly good. The injury Tepes received from the crashfish has healed nicely, although I am afraid I was unable to prevent scarring. Construction of the base is proceeding efficiently. We have managed to repair the radio, and are trying to reach any ships that might be in the system.

* * *

"The Degasi?" Sypha said curiously.

"That sounds familiar," Trevor said with a small frown.

"It does," Anna agreed. "But I'm not sure why. I wonder if they got rescued?"

"Well, they're clearly not here any more," Trevor pointed out.

"That doesn't mean much. It looks like they were being infected by whatever is in the water by the time the fourth entry is made, and there's no timestamps on any of them. It's plainly _old_ because of how badly weathered the data pad and the bases are, but still."

"Well, either they were rescued, which means we will be too, or they're dead," Trevor replied. "Since we don't know, there's no point in fussing about it, and I say we use whatever they left behind to make sure _we_ can be rescued."

"There's not much chance of _that_ unless we can salvage some of the broadcasting equipment from the Aurora," Sypha retorted. "Lifepods only have a 250 kilometer range, and without a boost into space, we're not even going to hit a free-floating satellite."

"I still can't get into over half of the ship right now, and-"

"And let's _not_ argue," Anna cut in firmly. "Right now, the ship is probably too dangerous to get near, even with the reactor fixed. You're the only one with radiation gear, Trevor, and it takes time to dissipate. We'll leave it for a bit until we have the equipment and materials to make a proper trip. The Aurora _had_ to have sent out an automated distress call before it blew up, so Alterra will at least know where we went down, and might be able to send someone to pick us up. Heck, we might get a ship from another trans-gov if we're lucky. We just have to be patient."

* * *

Survivor's log, Anna Torres

Trevor and Sypha spent more time bickering than agreeing about what to do, but I think we've got a plan for now. Sypha is going to take a bag and the seaglide once daybreak comes, and get out to Trevor's lifepod to retrieve all his stuff. Trevor is going to come back to the other island with me, and we're going to see what we can gather that's deeper down now that we have O2 tanks.

I hope we do have the means to create at least a small habitat. The nice weather can't hold forever, and I don't think anyone's comfortable hanging out in the portal cave, even if it's the only real option for shelter.

The logs of the Degasi remind me of something, but I'm not sure what. I've replayed the audio log a couple of times; Dr. Montblanc sounds like she's trying to reassure this other person, who was a shareholder for Alterra, I guess. I swear it sounds so familiar, but... well, maybe I'll remember another time.

I hope they got rescued. I hope this strange infection was cured for them.

We're not infected yet. Somehow, even Trevor is still reading at a normal health level. Given the number of times he's been bit in under a week, I don't know if I should be impressed or worried. Hopefully if he sticks with me, we can avoid him being bit even more. I plan on re-scanning all of us every three days, just to keep a running tab. Hopefully because we're all immunized and healthy, it'll take some time for the bacterium to settle into our systems.

I hope I can fix that data pad the rest of the way; the half log that I got before it died and corrupted looked like it might have been the first one, but it's all scrambled now.

They had a doctor on their team. I'm not a doctor, but I'm going to be, so... hopefully, her notes will be on the data pad. If they are, maybe I can use them. Even if we're not symptomatic yet, that's going to change.

I can feel it.


	6. Five

Five

"Trevor, I don't think this is a good idea."

"Look, I understand why you and Sypha decided to try the portal first, but it says there's an elevator back here, and maybe if we can interface with this thing's control room, we can figure out what it's actually for."

Anna sighed.

It had started off as a productive day; Sypha had gone off to Trevor's lifepod, armed with his data pad so she could lock onto its signal and three carry bags which had all been fabricated from the tough grass and plants around their own lifepod. Anna and Trevor had taken a bag each half filled with supplies, and gone through the portal back to the first island. Between what Trevor had, and what had been gathere by Anna and Sypha, they'd managed to make both a habitat builder, and a laser cutter.

But before they could get back into the water again, Trevor had _insisted_ they properly tour the alien facility, and go all the way to its control room. Which, honestly, Anna would have really preferred to not do.

"It also indicated there was some kind of security lock on the elevator, which is the _other_ reason we didn't try it," she replied a little testily. "And really, I do think we have more important-"

He'd already headed towards the end of the hall. She sighed in exasperation; she loved her cousin, really she did. But sometimes she wanted to smack him too.

He stopped at the end, and looked down at the gap dubiously.

"Are you sure it said elevator?" he asked as she caught up.

"That's what it was translated as, but it's a foreign language, and the translation software is a few years out of date at this point," she replied.

"...well, only one way to find out."

And he jumped into the empty shaft. Anna yelped, _he_ yelped, and then some form of gravitic force caught him before he could fall more than a foot, pulling him down at a steady speed until he was at the bottom.

"Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine, Anna," he called back up. "It's... not pleasant, but safe."

"I am _not doing that_."

He sighed, and went back up.

"Okay, look, see?" he said as the energy field dropped him back on the upper level again. "In one piece, perfectly safe."

"No."

"Anna..."

"I'm not doing it, Trevor, _no_."

He frowned a little, but didn't push; heights and his small cousin had always been something of a touchy subject.

"...it said there was an exterior entrance right?" he said after a minute. "A moon pool?"

"I... yes? I think so, anyways," she said after a suspicious moment.

"What if I take the elevator down, find the moon pool, and come back around to get you so you can come in that way?" he proposed.

"I... suppose that would be a way to do it," she allowed cautiously.

"Great~ I'll meet you in a few."

"Ah..."

But already he'd stepped back into the empty shaft, and was being gently propelled downwards. Anna muttered under her breath, and headed for the entrance of the facility to wait.

It took maybe ten minutes for Trevor to make his way back to the beach, but his grin said quite clearly that he'd definitely found the moon pool.

"C'mon. It's a bit over a hundred meters, but we can make that."

"Okay..."

She followed him into the water, and they swam down; unlike the aboveground portion, the underwater sections of the facility had not been able to discourage the layer of plant growth. There was something a bit comforting about that. Even if the metal was an unknown alloy, it couldn't completely discourage the growth of the planet.

They were maybe fifty meters down when Trevor pulled to a halt and pointed; below them perhaps another twenty meters was one of the warping creatures. It didn't look up, or seem interested in them for the moment... and after it seemed to curiously pursue a fish, it simply vanished.

Anna shook her head a little. She wasn't convinced those things weren't somehow artificial in nature... there was something _uncanny_ about them, and thus far they were the only creatures on this planet that had the ability to simply vanish and reappear.

When the surfaced in the moon pool, Trevor just shook his head a little, somewhere between wonder and discomfort.

"I know you told me about them, but those things are... _weird_," he said after a moment as they climbed out onto the facility floor.

"Agreed. I'm glad we haven't encountered a hostile one, whatever it is..."

He nodded, and they went through the door at the far end of the room.

* * *

"...it looks like a miniature rail gun," he said finally.

"It does. I wonder if the aliens had humanoid arms?"

Trevor gave her an amused look.

"Really? _That's_ what you want to know, and not how to get it out?"

"Assuming we could even get it out, I doubt it's user friendly," she retorted. "For all we know, it could use a power source that we don't have the technology to create. And it must be in this case for a reason. It could be defective, for all we, or the scanner, know."

"Or it could work just fine and be useful in scaring away that giant sea monster," he argued.

"Trevor, the last thing you need is a weapon that'll let you attack something trying to eat your face," she sad, mildly exasperated. "You've been bitten enough already."

He huffed a sigh and pouted in her direction, which Anna elected to ignore. Instead, she turned to head up the ramps. The second ion cube, and a door at the other end made her pause.

"What is it?" Trevor asked.

"The last time we found an ion cube, we used it to wake up the portal up in the mountain," she said thoughtfully. "So what's through that archway over there, that the previous owners of this place thought to put a cube here?"

"...Anna..."

She ignored him, and went to pick up the cube; it was amazingly light for its size, and she passed it to Trevor after a moment.

"...I wonder if we could take something like this back to Alterra?" he mused as they headed for the second doorway. "If they planet-claim, we're going to owe one hell of a bill."

"Well, it can't hurt to try. Though we might have to look for more, since these things are useful as a power source."

"Wonder if we could make batteries that don't need to be recharged," he mumbled.

Anna smiled a little at him, then stopped short as they entered the room. Before them stood another alien portal arch, though this one was inactive. She frowned and moved around the room, leaving Trevor to stand in the doorway and look impressed.

"...this is an exit point," she aid finally. "There's no place to put the cube, so it's like the arch over on the floating islands. It must be activated somewhere else..."

"Okay, but where?"

Anna could only shrug.

"I guess we keep the ion cube for now. Let's go see what's upstairs."

* * *

"A non-functional doomsday device," Trevor said, peering at the thing. "Who keeps a _non-functional doomsday device_ in their base?!"

"...I mean, humanity has done stupider."

He looked like he wanted to protest, but after a moment, elected to shake his head instead.

"Come on, we're almost at the top. There's got to be a reason this tablet was left here, and if there's another force field, we should get beyond it. We're probably late to rendezvous with Sypha, and even if she doesn't like the portal, I'm pretty sure she'll use it to smack us if we worry her too much."

That made Trevor smile a little.

"She _does_ have a bit of a temper," he acknowledged, heading up the ramp with her.

"Which you like to provoke, but please refrain from that until we've achieved rescue. Flirt nicer."

"I'm not-," he paused as Anna just stared at him. "...okay, fine."

He was quiet as they approached the sealed off passage, then tapped Anna lightly on the shoulder.

"Hm?"

"You're okay with it then?"

"Trevor, the two of your have been flirting for at least half the time we've known each other," she pointed out in amusement. "I think if you two would just _admit_ you like each other, things would go a bit smoother. If you mean do I feel left out, no. You're my cousin, she's my friend. I want you both to be _happy_, and if you're happy together, well, I don't see the downside in that."

He gave her a dubious look, but the brief burst of electronic noises as the forcefield was deactivated by the purple tablet made him forego whatever he'd planned to say. Instead he shook his head and rubbed his ear with a grimace.

"That was loud."

"Mmhm. This is the control room, though, so it was probably announcing the deactivation... presuming that was words, and not a short in the sys...tem..."

It wasn't necessarily an impressive room. It was large, but also close, as though the facility was curled around the room. At the far end a pillar stood, with a glowing green light evident at its heart. They approached cautiously, Anna studying as much of the room as she could. Something about that green light was the source of why she didn't much _like_ the facility...

As they set foot at the top of the ramp, a smaller pillar in front of the large one opened up, displaying a green button and what looked like it might be an eye scanner of some type. Trevor eyeed it curiously as Anna scanned the energy core.

"Well, it's... an energy source," he said after a moment. "Maybe this..."

She looked up in alarm as he put his hand on the square, depressing it.

"Trevor!"

He swore as a green field sprang up around his wrist, and swore more when the thing that looked like it might have been an eye scanner popped out on some type of arm. Anna held her breath in alarm as a needle popped out of the middle, half-afraid it was going to stab him in the face... when all it did was stab him in the arm, she let out a relieved breath.

But even as the device released him, the square turned red, and electronic noise blasted from some hidden speaker. She quickly held up her data pad to capture the audio, and hit the translate button.

_Warning: Infected individuals may not disable the weapon. This planet is under quarantine._

"Madre de Dios..."

Trevor rubbed his arm with a wince and a scowl, then yelped as Anna turned and smacked him with the data pad for good measure.

"What?!"

"Idiota!" she snapped. "I wasn't done scanning and you went and did that! It could have killed you!"

"...okay, but the stupid risks is kind of the thing I'm supposed to-"

She smacked him again, harder this time. He held up his hands in surrender.

"All right, all right, I'm sorry," he said, backing away from her a few steps. "I should have waited. But... well, now we know what is it?"

"We know it's a weapon, that doesn't tell us what it _does_," she retorted. "Hold this."

She shoved the data pad at him, then gingerly reached out and pressed the square herself. Maybe she wasn't infected yet...

The device popped out again, and she leaned back, unnerved despite herself. She hissed when it stabber her in the arm, but the green square went red once more, and the message repeated.

"Mierda," she muttered, rubbing her arm.

"Uh, Anna?"

"What?"

He winced a little, then held out the data pad.

"You're going to want to read that..."

* * *

"It's a _gun_?" Sypha exclaimed.

"Yes. Probably what hit us, and the people before us," Trevor grumbled.

"The fact that it's still active means that whoever was here before us may still _be_ here," Anna said as she continued her work with the broken data pad. "If not on the surface, maybe under the water."

"It _also_ means that we can't be rescued, _or leave_ until we turn it off," Trevor said pointedly.

"That too, yes."

Sypha looked between the two, then shrugged.

"Well, it could be worse. We've got each other."

Anna looked up briefly, and smiled. Trevor snorted, but looked a little mollified.

"There's more to it, of course," Anna continued, carefully shifting a connector back into place. "My PDA managed to grab a lot of the background data broadcasting. There's at least two different locations way down deep we should try and look into; a research station, and a thermal plant."

"A thermal plant? Why a thermal plant?"

"As _loathe_ as I am to take an unknown contaminant out of quarantine, it might be that we could disconnect the gun from the thermal plant which... _I think_ is its power source. Barring that, the research station might have more on whatever we've been infected with."

"But?" Sypha prompted.

"But one is at eight hundred meters, and the other at fifteen hundred. We're not getting down there without a Seamoth at the least."

"Cyclops and Prawn suit would be better," Trevor said.

Anna just shrugged; of the three of them, he was the one who'd gone through the training for the prawn suit, so he was in the best position to know.

"It's a moot point right now since we can't make any of it. We're going to need to do a _lot_ of materials gathering before then. And right now, I personally think our first priority needs to be a habitat."

"Being out of the weather would be nice," Sypha admitted. "But where would we put it? There's not enough available land..."

"We combed the island before it started getting dark. There's a cove over there," and Trevor gestured slightly, "or something like that. A hole in the middle of the two islands, basically. I think if we stuck some foundation over the water, we could build a safe enough space there."

"...we also found a data pad left behind by one of the senior officers," Anna said quietly, wincing a little as the repair tool made the broken data pad spark. "They tried to make for the Aurora, but..."

"I bet that big sea monster got them," Trevor said with a grimace. "It's big enough to bite a whole human in half."

"Very encouraging," Sypha said dryly. "Anna, how's it going?"

"We might need to fab a few computer chips to fully fix it," was the grumbled reply.

_Download incomplete. Data files corrupted._

She muttered something that was clearly impolite, making both Trevor and Sypha share a smile.

"Might as well call it for the night then, yeah? Or did you get something new?"

"Um..." Anna tapped at her data pad for a moment. "I got one sup. log, and it looks like... a voice log."

_Beginning playback_.

"_...__How_, _exactly...?_"

"_I'm tellin' you, there's some kind of fucking ___sea monster__ _out there where the reef drops down. It's gotta be at least sixty meters long, and could swallow a seamoth. It damn well tried, anyway._"

"_At least you made it back in one piece... I wish the same could be said for the seamoth. I don't claim to be an engineer, but that looked... well... fucked up."_

"_Yeah, tell me about it, it was enough of a pain to build the damn thing in the first place, now I gotta fix it..._"

"I wonder which one's Scott and which one's Tepes," Trevor said after a moment.

"My vote is that Tepes is the one with the accent," Sypha said immediately. "Someone with a name like that has to come from one of the older family lines."

Anna nodded absently.

"What about the supplementary log?" Trevor asked, leaning over to poke her lightly.

"Mn? Oh. Yes, sorry."

* * *

Degasi Ship's Log, Supplementary Entry 4

Acting Commander, Chief Medical Officer Liesse Montblanc

We have familiarized ourselves with the ocean floor around the island. There is a shallows and reef area not terribly far away that is proving to be a good source of resources. Some of the more territorial fish might make things problematic. Tepes suffered the first wound that required stitches when a species Scott has dubbed a 'crashfish' attacked him, though the wound itself is not serious. However, they do produce materials we will need for various synthesis.

We have made good progress on establishing a base; Scott recovered a crate of agricultural materials that will allow us to grow produce. There are some Terran crops, and a few that we have found on the island have proven edible. We will be able to supplement our rations and fish with the new produce, hopefully. Fortunately, based on the climate, they should grow quickly.

At this point, we are relatively sure that we are the only survivors of the Degasi explosion. We would have made contact with them by now if there were more. This is unfortunate. There is only so much the three of us can do, and we lack the skills to do more than establish a sustainable base. We must do our best to take care of ourselves until rescue arrives. While it might be some months due to the distances involved, the presence of Tepes on the ship will likely make rescue a priority for Alterra, not to mention his family. Ideally, it would take about six months for Alterra to mount a rescue mission. Six months is not such a long time.

* * *

"Tepes _definitely_ has to be the one with the accent," Trevor agreed after a minute. "Though I wonder why she thinks they'll be rescued?"

"Mmmm... the previous voice log with the doctor had her saying he was a shareholder," Anna said after a moment. "I wonder if they ever even _heard_ from a rescue ship?"

"If a ship made it that close, it probably got shot down the way we did," Sypha said glumly. "Now I rather wish we had a way to contact the ship and wave anyone _off_ if they were going to try and find us..."

Trevor grimaced a little and nodded.

For a moment, a gloomy sort of silence reigned over the makeshift camp, and then Sypha clapped her hands briskly, with a sharp sigh. Both Trevor and Anna jumped, looking at her in surprise.

"Well. We'll make do!" Sypha declared. "We're not sick yet, and we might not get terribly sick for a while, so we should do everything we can before that happens, yes?"

After a moment, Anna half-smiled and nodded.

"...since we made the laser cutter, I want to go back to the Aurora when there's light," Trevor said after a moment. "There's some doors I couldn't get through that might have some useful things."

"You want some company?" Sypha asked.

"We'd need another seaglide," he pointed out.

"We have all the relevant materials," Anna countered. "And you said yourself that the Aurora isn't exactly safe. So take her with you. I'll stay here and see if I can layout the beginnings of a base for us in the grotto."

"No risks?" he asked, eyeing her in mock-suspicion.

"As you're so fond of point out, that's _your_ job," she teased. "But no, with all the materials we have here to be used, I think I can at least get us a foundation and a couple of rooms. If you can scrounge up a bit more quartz and copper for me, we can make solar panels for power. I _may_ go to the other island, but I'll stay out of the water. Promise."

"Well, in that case, let's rest up before the evil daystar crosses the horizon again," Sypha said with a bit of acerbic humor. "I swear, this place is going to make us _all_ chronically sleep deprived..."

* * *

Survivor's log, Anna Torres

I really wonder at those three other survivors. Mr. Scott, Dr. Montblanc, and Mr. Tepes. Trevor and Sypha aren't sure they're alive, and I suppose they're probably right. It would be nice though, if at least one of them were.

It's worrying to know that the alien installation is some sort of quarantine enforcement device. How many ships has it shot down since it's been active? What _made_ it active? Is everything on the planet infected, or are there some things more susceptible than others? I haven't really been paying much attention to the fauna, I admit. There's schools of hoopfish that swim around the other island... maybe I should study them, see how many are presenting the signs of the infection.

Or maybe that's just late-stage infection? I don't know... I suppose I won't know until we start showing signs of it. That's terrifying to consider, really...

Trevor's probably the mostly likely to start showing soonest; he's been in and out of the water, getting bit and eating the fish and plants pretty much since he woke up on this planet. Part of me hopes that our immune systems will keep this trouble at bay, but if the past planet survivors were also infected...

I can't let them know how scared I am. I'm only half-trained, I don't know if I can handle any of this... But I don't have a choice, not really. If... _when_ we all get sick, they're going to need what help I can provide.

I'll start by doing the best I can to build us a safe and functional base.

I hope it will be enough.


	7. Six

Six

"_This is Avery Quinn, of trading ship Sunbeam. Aurora, do you read? Over.  
"Nothing but vacuum. These Alterra ships. They run low on engine grease, they send an SOS; you offer to help, they don't pick up.  
"Aurora, I'm out on the far side of the system, it's going to take take more than a week to reach your position, do you still need our assistance? Over.  
"I'll try them again tomorrow. See what the long-range scans pick up in the meantime. Damn charter's going to have us wasting our profit margin running errands for Alterra._"

Anna keyed the radio a bit desperately; it was a long shot, but maybe there was a chance they could pick up an echo of the signal.

"Sunbeam, this is Anna Torres, survivor of the Aurora; do not, I repeat _do not_ approach the crash site. Stay far away from planet 4546B, the planet is under quarantine, and there is an active weapon fully ready to shoot down any and all ships that approach. Please. _Please_. Do not come to our aid!"

There was nothing on the radio but silence as she released the button, and she sighed a little forlornly; the chances of actually reaching the ship before it hit atmo and was destroyed—assuming it actually came to try and help them—was minimal. Despite all the blueprints Trevor's data pad had carried, there was no long-range radio that would reach into the wide echoes of space.

Which meant that either the crew of the Sunbeam was going to join them, or they were going to die.

The morning had started mostly on point; despite a strange dream that left her feeling like she ought to be looking for something, she had felt mostly energetic and definitely willing to see Sypha and Trevor off in the direction of the Aurora wreck. It hadn't been that long since they'd all met up, but she still relished the time to herself. Armed with her data pad to keep her appraised of any emergency situations that might arise—thanks to the sync, they could chat long distance—the habitat builder, and a bag of the materials brought from Trevor's excursions, she'd been prepared to get a good start on building them a proper shelter.

And then the radio alert had pinged her and now there was this.

Anna rubbed her hands across her face, and looked up into a partially-cloudy blue sky. A week. Maybe a little more depending on whether the Sunbeam picked up on the debris field and clued in to what happened. She would have to keep trying.

She re-recroded the message, and set the radio to broadcast it on the Sunbeam's frequency every hour, then left her lifepod. There wasn't much more she _could_ do, really. Except keep busy, and hope that it would take her mind off the worst of the fear.

* * *

BELMONT: Anna, we got into the lab, anything you want?

TORRES: We need to set up a med bay, and probably a research lab. So. Microscope. Sample analyzer. Fluid analyzer. Any sample containers that aren't broken. A centrifuge if you can find one. Anything you can pull from the data terminal in the lab too.

BELMONT: k

TORRES: Is it going okay?

BELMONT: we've found some interesting stuff. picked up one of the officers pdas. you should look when you take a break.

TORRES: Officer gossip? Really?

BELMONT: not gossip. orders. just read it.

TORRES: Later.

BELMONT: okay on your end?

TORRES: Foundation set up. Multipurpose rooms almost completed. Still need more copper and quartz. Also creepvine samples for fiber mesh, if there's time/room. Will be depowered when you get here, but I think I can start setting up the interior.

BELMONT: Sypha says she wants a real bed and will bring back a thousand creepvines if that gets her one

TORRES: Real beds are definitely on the list. Have a layout idea. Some things are going to have to be in the water, but base is dry.

BELMONT: whats in the water?

TORRES: Moon pool. Scanner room. Don't need either right now. Don't have materials for either right now either. Moon pool would have to be down there anyways for a seamoth.

BELMONT: just a moth?

TORRES:Too small for a Cyclops, not reachable by jumps. Did a test dive, but had to pull up after 100m. Sea floor is _way_ down there.

BELMONT: fun.

TORRES: Yup. Find stuff for a mvb so we can _make_ some Seamoths. That's probably the only way we're going to be able to get around more.

BELMONT: do my best. will bring back what we can.

TORRES: Stay safe.

BELMONT: you too.

* * *

"Whoa... You've done a _lot_."

Anna looked up from where she'd been sitting on the floor and smiled a little in greeting.

"You gave me plenty of materials to work with. Did you bring back what I asked for?"

Trevor nodded, dropping a pair of somewhat damp bags onto the floor.

"Had to do a bit of searching," he admitted. "I think I've cleared out most of the useful stuff in a fifty meter radius of my lifepod. But the seaglides and an extra pair of hands helped."

Sypha reached over and gave him a small shove.

"You just wanted someone else to play fishbait," she accused, huffing at him.

"...well, maybe a little."

Anna shook her head a little and started sorting through the materials; true, she had made them a decently sized base, but it still needed power, which meant _she_ needed some quartz and copper. She rooted through the bags absently, setting aside useful bits and pieces.

"-nna?"

"Hm?" she blinked and looked up.

Trevor had crouched down, and was giving her that concerned look she knew all too well.

"Something wrong?" he asked. "You're a bit... distracted."

"Ah..." after a moment she sighed. "We have a rescue ship inbound."

"... well, shit."

Despite her worries, she had to smile.

"That's bad," Sypha said, sitting cross-legged with them. "What do we do?"

"Without a signal booster of some kind, we can't do _anything_," Trevor said with a frown.

"I recorded a message and have it playing every hour on their comm freq, but," Anna nodded a little at her cousin, "he's right."

"Can't you make something like that?"

Trevor and Anna shook their heads in unison.

"Deep space equipment is a whole different level of building, and we'd need basic blueprints just to start," Trevor sighed again. "Plus more specialized knowledge."

Sypha frowned a little, then sighed herself.

"Well. If you keep repeating the message, there's a chance we'll get lucky," she said, reaching over to pat Anna's shoulder. "Radio signals get random boosts all the time from local solar activity, you know."

Anna half-smiled; she wasn't really convinced, but it helped that Sypha was trying.

"So, what's left to do in here?" Trevor asked, getting back to his feet.

"I need to make the solar panels first... Once we have power, the fabricator and radios will be online, and then we can start breaking down what you brought and turning it into useable interior things."

"You have a layout idea?" Sypha asked.

"Mmhm. Here."

Sypha took the data pad and studied it, Trevor peering over her shoulder.

"Are you _sure_ you weren't an interior designer?" he teased.

Anna stuck out her tongue and went outside to set up the solar panels.

* * *

It took two days before they received another message from the Sunbeam; this time they were all in position to hear it.

"_Aurora, this is Sunbeam again. We just picked up a _massive_ debris field at your location. I didn't know how bad... h.. how many of you... I-I didn't know.  
_"_We are now en route to your location. We're going to bring you home. Sunbeam out._"

Trevor swore quietly, but the message was still going. The words were quieter; clearly the captain had moved away from the microphone, but forgotten to turn it off._  
_"What else_ can I say? The only time I parked a rig _this big_ on a rock _that small_ was in VR, and I _blew_ it. T's a bad option alright, but _so_ are all the others._"

"...there's still time for the radio message to reach them," Trevor said with a sidelong glance at Anna. She had stopped working on the broken data pad to listen in, and her lips were pressed tightly together in concern.

"Yes," Sypha nodded firmly. "Though I really think the captain could have turned off the mic _before_ that last bit. It does not give me confidence."

Trevor snorted, and despite the seriousness of the danger, even Anna couldn't help but smile at Sypha's tart tone.

"It's a definite tone switch once they figured out the ship was shot down," she continued, a small frown on her face. "I know Alterra isn't the most _popular_ due to the strict neutrality it prefers, but still."

"You grew up on Alterra colonies, huh?" Trevor asked, leaning back in his chair.

"Yes. Our family was one of the first colonial groups when Alterra declared itself its own trans-gov."

"What do they do?" he asked.

"Most of the family is a scholar in one form or another," she said with a small grin. "Teachers, professors, archaeologists, xenolinguists... basically anything related to learning. Well, respectful learning. But what does that have to do with..?"

"Oh, well, we," and he gestured to Anna, "grew up in a different trans-gov. They signed the charter, but no one in power there was really happy about it, and they definitely didn't like most of the other tgs in the charter. So there was a bunch of smear campaigns to remind people that it was better, and they shouldn't leave for another tg that would treat them like third-class workers."

Sypha made a face.

"Alterra isn't immune from that, but they were generally... _subtle_ about it," she said after a thoughtful moment. "How did you get here, then?"

"Drifted," Trevor shrugged. "Once I left home, I kind of roamed around. Ended up here mostly because of pay and the general heavy lifting skills needed to work the cargo hold, y'know?"

"Helps that you saw the Prawn suit and volunteered for the training," Anna said without looking up. "Even the cargo crew were leery around those."

"Don't know why. It's no worse than any other cargo hauler. Hell, it's a lot better than the ones at the _last_ tg I worked. It has the safety glass!"

Sypha giggled a little, and Anna shook her head in resigned amusement as she carefully slotted the computer chip into the broken data pad. She was fairly sure it was _almost_ repaired...

_Data syncing in progress. Low battery. Download interrupted. Some files may be corrupted._

Trevor snickered a little at Anna's put out expression.

"I'll get some things for a new battery tomorrow, and then maybe we can finally get all the files," he said, patting her on the shoulder. "Did you get anything new?"

Muttering something that was _definitely_ impolite, Anna reached over for her own data pad, and flicked through.

"One.. partial audio, and two supplemental. Oh, this looks like the first entry Dr. Montblanc made!"

"Well, read it," Sypha encouraged.

* * *

Degasi Ship's Log, Supplementary Entry 1

Acting Commander, Chief Medical Officer Liesse Montblanc

I am making these entries to be added to the Degasi log if and when such is possible. The Degasi has crashed on a planet in the solar system of Star 4546, though I am currently unsure of which one as I do not have access to the navigational data. The cause of the crash is currently unknown; our best guess for the moment is a collision with space debris while in proximity to the planet's gravity well.

There are at the moment three survivors of the crash confirmed. Myself, Degasi Chief Medical Officer Liesse Montblanc; Connor Scott, Engineer; Adrian Tepes, Shareholder serving as Biochemist. The planet is largely oceanic, though fortunately, our escape pods came down near an island. We are currently using the pods as shelters, though we have a functioning replicator that we can use to produce equipment if we are able to salvage the raw materials. Our radio is only intermittently functional and we have not been able to contact any other survivors at this point.

We currently have enough supplies for a few days, and no injuries. We will scout around the island for more supplies and salvage in the morning, and try to locate further survivors.

* * *

Trevor let out a low whistle.

"Why would a shareholder be on a scouting ship?" Anna asked, confusion.

"Protecting company interests," Trevor offered with a small scoff.

"If he was serving as a biochemist, it's more likely he was there in that capacity," Sypha replied, leaning back thoughtfully in her chair. "Being a shareholder just means he was given more respect."

"Optimist."

"Pessimist," she retorted, smiling. "What's the other one?"

* * *

Degasi Ship's Log, Supplementary Entry 6

Acting Commander, Chief Medical Officer Liesse Montblanc

Unfortunately, what we originally thought was some sort of topical allergic reaction has proven to be some sort of bacterial infection. Tepes and I have isolated samples of it, and so far, we have been able to determine that it is infectious on nearly all vectors. Now that we have programmed the scanner to recognize it, it appears to be incredibly prevalent. Much of the wildlife is infected, and it appears there is a considerable population free floating in the water. We have been taking some general course antibiotics to fight the infection, but every time we get in the water, we will almost certainly reinfect ourselves. We have obtained samples of lifeforms in advanced stages of infection, and a common symptom appears to be blue-green, slightly bioluminescent cysts or sores, as well as increased aggression, judging by the behavior of the infected specimens we have studied. Both Scott and myself are starting to show more signs of the infection; the irritated patches of skin are starting to become acutely painful and develop into sores.

So far, Tepes seems to be unaffected; it is possible he has some sort of natural immunity to the infection, or he is asymptomatic. This is fortunate, as due to our conditions, he has been forced to take on the bulk of the more exertion-heavy tasks of supplying and maintaining our base camp. I am hoping that if our immune systems can become accustomed to it, with the help of the antibiotics, we will be able to adapt a tolerance for it. Scott and I will stay out of the water as long as we can and see if the effects taper off. Hopefully we will be able to resume our duties before Tepes collapses from exhaustion.

Tepes has brought up a relevant point, in that not all of the wildlife seems to be infected, and the infection seems to progress at different rates even in members of the same species. This suggests there is some environmental factor that inhibits the bacteria and slows the infection's progress. If this is the case and we can identify the inhibitor, we might be able to manufacture a vaccine, though it will be tricky to do.

* * *

"Well, at least he's useful," Trevor said, perhaps a bit begrudgingly.

"He's not the only one," Anna said, re-reading the log. "Dr. Montblanc's notes on the disease will be helpful too. Any edge we can get on being able to stay ahead of whatever's in our system is something we can't overlook."

"You're the doctor," he said, holding his hands up lightly. "I'll leave that sort of thing to you."

"What's the audio log?" Sypha asked.

Anna flicked her fingers lightly, then tapped the screen.

_Beginning playback._

"_Holy fuck, I knew you sunburned quick but this seems... worse than normal?_"

"_Nn... it is._"

Even knowing the recording was likely years old, Anna couldn't hep but feel concern for the man. His voice wasn't _thick_ with pain, but she'd heard plenty of people speak like that before.

"_Go talk to the doc like right now, you're gonna lose skin at this rate._"

"_It's just a sunburn._"

"_No, it's fucking bad is what it is. Go talk to her, I'm serious._"

Sypha tipped her head slightly.

"He must be very pale to have a sunburn so bad that it needed a doctor," she finally said, a bit dubiously.

Anna half-shrugged.

"We can't rule out there being more than one way for the infection to manifest," she replied. "Though without any of them here to confirm or deny, there's... not much point in speculation."

"Right," Trevor lightly slapped his knees. "What's on the list for tomorrow?"

"We need to check the grav traps for certain," Sypha said. "For more Peepers, and bladderfish."

Trevor groaned a little.

"Damn bladderfish... And who the hell _named_ them, anyways?"

Anna hid a smile. No doubt it was one of the Degasi survivors, which reminded her that she still needed to read that officer's data...

"We can also deploy the mvb," Sypha continued, ignoring his complaint. "See what it takes to make a Seamoth, or a Cyclops. That'll give us more range on gathering materials."

"I need to stay put for a few days while working with the blood samples you two have given me," Anna said. "I don't have a lot of Dr. Montblanc's notes yet, but I did get a few, and I want to be able to compare what she might've gotten to what I'll be looking at. I'll also need to scan you both when you get back... There might _be_ something to staying out of the water, though we can't do that indefinitely..."

"What about making antibiotics?" Trevor asked.

"Considering the raw materials, and the fact that everything on this planet seems to be infected, I don't think I'm willing to trust my rudimentary skills _or_ the fabricator to give us untainted anything. If anyone starts showing symptoms and getting worse, I'll try, but... until the, it might be better to just take our chances."

* * *

Survivor's log, Anna Torres

I hate saying that. I hate knowing that everything here is infected with this virus, and not being able to trust that the fabricator could fix it and make a sterile vaccine. I want to be optimistic, hopeful, but I'm just... I can't do it. But I can't show it. They're both stressed enough, and I know Sypha's trying really hard to keep our spirits up. I have to at least _try_ and be more optimistic... I can't make Trevor worry too much about me when he's going to need to worry more about himself.

I'm worried about the Sunbeam still. I hope that the radio signal reaches them. We can survive, I think, for a while, even with the infection. The Degasi survivors did, and they were in a similar state; doctor (well, I'm still in-training, but close enough), biochemist, and engineer. Trevor's not an engineer, but he's got a good general skillset that's served him, and all of us, well so far.

Having read the officer's log, I'm a little stunned, and a _lot_ annoyed at the fact that the only people who knew about the secondary rescue mission was the captain and four of the higher up crew. It does explain a lot about why we had prawn suits and seamoths on the ship, though, and why more than half of the available blueprints on Trevor's PDA are water-related.

Considering the ship vanished ten years ago, it's entirely likely that we're not going to find survivors. But... I don't know. I had a dream the other night. Someone was urging me to go down, and find... something. Maybe someone. It's silly to put stock in dreams, especially if it's a stress response to being marooned on a planet that seems designed to kill us all.

But... I don't know. Some part of me thinks that it's something I shouldn't ignore.

Sypha wants to make a better wetsuit, and I can't really blame her. If we're going to have to start going down deep, the regular ones aren't going to stand up to the pressure. Maybe if we use some of the diamonds, turn them into nanotubes, we can lace that with the fiber mesh and have a bit of extra protection.

And before that, I need to see about making moon pools. I think I can tweak the blueprint a little... or maybe I'll see if Trevor can. If we make it wide enough for three, we won't be playing musical chairs with them. All else fails, maybe I can go out to Trevor's lifepod and we can use the area there for multiple moon pools. It would be a swim, even with the seaglides, but the moon pools need to be attached...

Hm. I should make an attempt at modifying the blueprint.


	8. Seven

Seven

"How long is this storm going to last?"

"Until it's done, Trevor," Sypha replied. "That's how weather works."

"Okay, but it's been three days. It's getting a bit ridiculous," he retorted. "We need to go out there if we want to _get_ what's out there."

"If you're so bored, why not take the portal and explore the other island some more? There was useful things in the caverns, and you have a flashlight," Anna pointed out without looking up from the microscope. "You can find a lot more with that than we could groping around in the dark."

He muttered something under his breath that she chose to ignore, making a note on what she was seeing in the sample on her data pad.

The rain had started the day after they'd received the second transmission from the Sunbeam; the lightning had only come into play on day two, but it seemed inclined to stick around, which made any water ventures dangerous. There had never been a minimum safe depth, even _with_ air tanks... and being caught on the surface by a lightning strike was deadly.

"I could wear the radiation suit."

"Lead lined suits are good against radiation. _Not_ electrical currents," Sypha said irritably.

"No bickering in the lab," Anna said tiredly, lifting her head so that she could give them both a pointed look. "Trevor, I know you're bored, I'm sorry. Exploring the other island is really all I can offer. That or catching up on more sleep."

He grumbled a little again, and got to his feet.

"Take a portable if you go out," Sypha told him, her tone stern.

"I know, I know," he snapped.

_Trevor Belmont has left the habitat_.

"...he really is not good at sitting still, is he?"

Anna shook her head.

"He can if it's really important to him, but with something like this? It just annoys him. And I can't really blame him. We can't deploy the mvb in this weather, so we don't know if we have all the relevant materials to make seamoths, which also makes the moon pool pointless. And if we want to get deeper than a seamoth can go, we need the Cyclops, and Trevor's prawn suit."

Sypha sighed, leaning back in her chair and staring out the one window that had been put in to let in some ambient light. At the moment, it was streaked with rain, and lit only intermittently with flashes of lightning. Not that there was much of a view to begin with, being in the middle of the island, but it was better than nothing.

"I really hope it does let up soon," she said a bit wistfully. "I'm not fond of staying inside all the time either."

"You could always go with him," Anna suggested.

"I could, but I think right now he needs some space. I'll go bother him in a couple of hours, maybe~"

Anna glanced sidelong at her friend, then shrugged lightly. As long as they weren't biting each other, she wasn't inclined to interfere with the budding relationship. And admittedly, sometimes it was highly entertaining to watch them bicker. There was a flavor to it that was just... _different_. Softer. They weren't really fighting, they were playing, and that made overhearing the arguments safer.

"Have you had any more luck with the data pad?"

"Yes and no," Anna shrugged lightly, turning back to her microscope. "I've gotten some of Dr. Montbanc's notes on the infection and its progression, which helps me know what signs to look for in us, but no audio or supplemental logs since the last time. I think there's a broken wire that the repair tool can't reconnect. I'm a little worried about it, honestly..."

"You're interested in the story, huh?"

She could hear the amusement in Sypha's voice, and allowed herself a small shrug.

"There's no timestamps, so we don't know how long they lived here... but isn't it heartening to think that even sick, they _could_? It means we have a greater than zero chance to do the same, and I plan to make sure we keep living."

She jumped a little when Sypha's hand landed on her head, briefly ruffling her hair.

"I believe in you," the other woman said with a smile. "And I know Trevor does too."

* * *

"_This is Sunbeam. Y'know, Aurora, we're from a little trans-gov on the far side of Andromeda, and we have a saying there; there's no bad without the good, no good without the bad. Might be a whole lot of bad went down for you lately, but that only means you're overdue something real sweet.  
"Might just be that we're it.  
"We're scanning for somewhere to park as we speak, we'll be in touch when we find it. Sunbeam out._"

"Mierda," Anna muttered scowling a little at the radio.

The storm had let up finally after another two days, which had helped with the general gloomy air around the base. The lack of lightning had allowed for a number of things, from the building of a trio of Seamoth, to the construction of the desalination machine, and even a face to face encounter with one of the stranger warping creatures.

_That_ had been something to hear about, and it still made her shake her head. Apparently the seamoth were no protection against whatever ability the warpers had, as the one Trevor had met had tossed him right out of it, and a good fifty meters away. They were still non-hostile, at least, but that was a very _odd_ reaction, one that Sypha, at least, wanted to know more about.

But this? This was bad. This was _beyond_ bad. If the Sunbeam got within range of the weapon on the other island, there wasn't much chance that there would be much left of the ship, or its crew.

She drummed her fingers on the desk, frowning hard as she tried to think; there _had_ to be a way to boost the signal from lifepod nine, to reach out into space and get them to go in the other direction. The problem was, none of them were actually electronically inclined. It was one thing to change up a blueprint and fix where supports were. It was entirely another to know how to program the fabricator or the habitat builder with something it didn't already have stored in the blueprint database.

She put her head in her hands briefly, and took a few deep breaths. She hadn't needed anti-anxiety meds for a number of years, but this planet was testing that need something fierce. It seemed like every time they turned around there was a new development that was... less than optimal.

"Okay," she muttered to herself, letting her hands drop. "Okay...Nnnn... Trevor?"

"_Yeah?_"

"Can you do me a favor?"

"_I can try. What's up?_"

"How close are you to lifepod five?"

"_Mmmm... few hundred meters._"

"I think part of the problem of the Sunbeam not getting the message I made is because lifepod nine is hemmed in by stone. I know it's a technicality, but maybe..."

"_Maybe because lifepod five is in open air it'll have a better range?_"

"Or something. They sent us another message, they're looking for a spot to get into orbit so they can zero in more accurately," she bit her lip, and did her best to keep her voice steady. "Trevor.-"

"_I know_," he interrupted, tone soothing. "_I'll get right on it, promise._."

"Okay... thank you."

"_Hey, while I've got you, how much copper wire did you need?_"

"Mn? Oh. I think just a single spool will be enough."

"_Right. Let me grab Sypha, and we'll get this thing going again. Trevor out~_"

She smiled a little, leaned back in her chair, and sighed tiredly. Whatever they could do, now they truly had done all of it. Hopefully the long-range radio of the Sunbeam would finally get the message.

* * *

"I told you not to go over to that bunch of creepvines."

"We needed-ow!- the seeds!"

"We didn't need them badly enough for you to get bit by a stalker."

"It's not that bad..."

"_Three times_. Now strip."

"I am _not_ going to do that while you're watching me!"

Anna poked her head down through the hole in the floor, one eyebrow going up. Neither one seemed to notice her—given the way they were glaring at each other, she was almost certain they wouldn't have noticed a power failure—which gave her time to assess the situation.

It was hard to tell who had been bitten, really; Trevor was considered the prime target for being big and slow, but he'd also gotten better about not disturbing the stalkers that haunted the creepvines.

"Does someone need stitches, or just bandaging?" she asked. "Because really, the only one who should be demanding you strip down for tending is _me_."

Trevor had the grace to blush and mumble an apology to Sypha.

"We both got bit," Sypha sighed a little after a moment, "but it was my fault for getting their attention in the first place."

"Okay. So. Who's hurt more?"

Trevor pointed at Sypha.

"Three. Times."

"I can tend to myself," she snapped, glaring at him. "Besides, you got bit too!"

Anna just sighed, and fetched one of the spare med kits.

"Trevor, if you could come up here and wait for a bit?" she called down.

"Fiiiine..."

She waited for him to climb the ladder and take a seat before heading down to tend to Sypha. Sypha was no less embarrased about having to strip out of her wetsuit, but Anna turned her back to allow her a modicum of privacy.

"He doesn't have room to talk," she muttered as the wetsuit came off. "He's lost track of how often he's been bit."

"True, but he's fussy," and Anna smiled a little, shaking her head lightly. "You know that."

"He's _rude_ is what he is."

"You knew that too. Ready?"

Sypha grumbled an affirmative and Anna turned around. The bites weren't _too_ bad, but they weren't in pleasant spots. A semi circle of teeth on the back of her calf, one fore arm, and one upper arm. Anna winced sympathetically.

"They went for vulnerable points, huh?" she asked, getting out the disinfectant.

"Or at least the spots that would hurt the most... I think the air tank kept them off my throat, honestly..."

"Which is a good thing. I don't need Trevor in a depressive funk because a stalker killed his girlfriend."

"I'm-ow!-not his girlfriend... yet..."

Anna just raised an eyebrow and kept tending to the injured leg. Sypha grumbled something in Italian that was probably rude, and crossed her arms over her chest with a wince.

"...he hasn't asked me yet," she mumbled, a touch sulkily.

"Oh. Well. You might have to pin him down. Just give me advance notice so I'm not here when you fight about it."

"I can _hear you_," Trevor called from the second floor.

"Yes, and?~"

There was a grumble from upstairs that made both women grin.

"You're going to need to rest for a couple of days," Anna continued as she finished Sypha's leg and moved to the arm. "No swimming, minimal walking and climbing. The scanner says nothing's torn, but the punctures are deep enough that you shouldn't chance it."

Sypha nodded a little glumly, holding out her arm with a small wince as Anna moved on to the third bite.

"It might be prudent to have the bed to yourself for a day at that," she said, gently wrapping a bandage around the injury. "So you don't unintentionally smack something in your sleep. Again."

Trevor snickered from where he was upstairs as Sypha blushed.

"That goes for you too, Trevor," she said, raising her voice a bit.

"Okay, but where will you sleep?"

"I'm small. The bench is fine."

She could also sleep on her chair, but she was pretty sure they'd both get upset if she said _that._

"Have you stripped, up there?"

"Yes," he sighed. "Are you coming up?"

"In a second, yes. Feeling better now?"

"Yes," Sypha said, though she grimaced a little when she moved her leg. "It doesn't sting quite as much..."

"Good. I'll scan you again tomorrow, and we'll see what that says."

Sypha half-smiled, accepted Anna's help up, then limped over to one of the storage lockers to get some dry clothes. Anna grabbed some of Trevor's and climbed up the ladder, stopping short when she turned to look at him. She bit back a swear mostly by luck, and by the time he'd turned around again, she'd managed a stranglehold on her emotions; but she couldn't erase the knowledge that there were two faintly glowing green cysts on her cousin's back.

"Oh good, clothes," he said with a wry smile. "I was wondering if you've have me get my own things."

"Please. I'm not mean."

He grinned a little, and she let out a small, internal sigh of relief. He knew her moods well, thanks to sharing the same house since the deaths of his family, but he could still be thick as a brick sometimes.

"So where'd you get bit this time, anyways?"

"Damn thing latched onto my arm when I stabbed the first one," he said holding out said limb with a grimace. "One the bright side, I brought back some stalker teeth."

"The ones embedded in your arm?" she asked, handing him the clothes. "If there's nothing wrong with your legs, you can go ahead and put on the pants."

He was quick to get half-dressed, and held still for her while she treated his arm.

"How are you feeling otherwise?" she asked as she bandaged the injury.

"Eh," he half-shrugged. "Fine. Little bit sluggish, I guess. Wouldn't mind getting some extra sleep."

She nodded a little as she tied the bandage off and stepped back.

"Well, you'll need to _not_ get the arm wet for a couple days to let the healing begin," she told him sternly. "So you and Sypha can be base buddies. If we need anything _I_ can go and get it."

"Anna..."

"Nu uh. Doctor's orders."

Trevor snorted a little, then shrugged in resigned amusement.

"Okay, okay... Mind if I finish getting dressed and go down to steal a bed?"

Anna waved her hand lightly in permission, and he pulled the shirt over his head, then went down the ladder carefully. She flopped into her chair and ran her hands briefly over her face. There were only a couple on his back, and theoretically spending time out of the water would make them shrink...

Right?

* * *

"_Aurora, we're approaching the planet now, and we have a landing site for you that's... well, it's better than the alternatives. We've sent you the coordinates.  
"It'll take us a couple of days to align our orbit, we should be able to establish direct contact with you during that time, then we're coming in to get you. Cross your fingers the weather holds, and don't leave us waiting. Sunbeam out._"

They all stared at each other in silence, as the two data pads chirped with the received co-ordinates.

"_Fuck_," Trevor finally said, frustration in his tone. "Either they're not getting the message, or they're ignoring the message because they don't believe us."

"We have two days at least before they can swoop in to get us. Where are they landing?" Sypha asked.

"Looks like..." Anna tapped her pad's screen lightly. "The other island."

"_Fuck_," Trevor repeated.

"To put it mildly." Anna put down her data pad with a small frown. "They're going to be directly in the line of fire..."

"Do you think we can do a last-second wave off?"

"I don't know. It would help if we knew the range at which the weapon would activate, but the data pad wasn't able to translate enough of the information for us to use..."

Anna ran a hand over her hair, combing back some loose strands. Trevor scowled at nothing, and Sypha chewed lightly on her lower lip. For several minutes, a tense silence reigned over the trio, each of them lost in thought about what they might be able to do to save the Sunbeam from sharing the Aurora's fate.

"Someone should be there when they try to establish contact," Sypha said finally. "It might be imperfect, but there's a chance that we could get through before the gun targets them."

"I agree," Trevor said with a nod. "I'll go."

"Just don't fall over the edge of the hill this time, hmm?" Sypha teased gently.

Anna smiled a little in worried relief as Trevor scoffed at her gently. None of them had any sort of rank, but maybe Trevor could make them listen.

"Well, we have two days until then, so you two should get some rest and let your injuries heal. Do we need anything?"

"Some more lithium wouldn't go amiss," Trevor said after a moment. "We need it for making plasteel for the Cyclops. But I can get that..."

"No, you two are going to get some _rest_. I need to stretch my legs anyways, and I handle the portal better. I'll go once it's light out."

* * *

Survivor's log, Anna Torres

I really don't know what's more stressful right now; the imminent arrival of the Sunbeam, or the fact that Trevor's showing more overt signs of the infection.

Though I suppose what's worse is knowing that I can't really do anything about either situation.


	9. Eight

Eight

"No no no no _no_!"

The Sunbeam was early. Or the message had been late. Either way, the outcome was the same. Anna watched in horror as what she'd though was only a tower on the installation shifted. Moved. The green glow that had built at the end of it as she'd frantically tried to break through the static to wave them off.

The explosion, and the sudden loss of radio signal.

Anna sank to her knees as the bright light blinded her temporarily. This was how it always went for her, wasn't it? Never fast enough. Never brave enough. Never loud enough.

Never _enough_.

The backwash of the explosion hit her moments later; it was too far away to knock her over, but it was loud enough to set her ears to ringing as she stared in numb silence. Tears trailed unchecked down her cheeks, both from the bright light and the pain of failure.

She should have done more, somehow. Maybe a power transmitter could have boosted the radios, maybe she could have tried to reach the Aurora; even with its damage, surely the long-range radio could have garnered _some_ attention. It wasn't like the _entire_ ship was on fire, after all.

Half-blinded by tears, she watched as the pillar realigned itself into an upright position, its work done, and felt the despair that clawed at her throat. As long as they were infected, this gun would remain active. As long as it was active, nothing and no one would be entering, or leaving, the atmosphere.

Were they really going to die here? On this ocean planet? What would kill them first, the leviathan-class predators, or the infection in their system?

At first she thought the shadow in her vision was an after image from the light of the explosion. It took a strange shape, but then again, nothing on this planet was within the range of _normal_.

And then it spoke.

_We... are here..._

The voice was deep. Feminine, almost. Enough of an unexpected to freeze Anna in place.

And then, as the light finally returned to normal, the vision faded out, and two pairs of feet skidded to a halt.

"Anna?! Anna are you okay?" Trevor demanded, dropping to his knees beside her.

"We heard the explosion all the way back on the other island... was it...?" Sypha asked, kneeling on Anna's other side.

Anna bowed her head a little, lifting her hands to rub at the tears.

"We're not getting rescued by the Sunbeam," she said thickly. "They... the gun, it.."

Her shoulders trembled, but she choked back the sobs that wanted to escape. It was one thing to cry in private, but to worry them like this...

Trevor shifted so that he was sitting on the sand, and pulled her into a hug. Best intentions aside, Anna buried her face in her cousin's shoulder and just held on tight as she fought for control. Sypha snuggled up to Anna's back, Trevor shifting to include her in the hug as well, and they stayed like that for several minutes.

"...poor bastards."

Trevor's voice was a rumble by her ear, filled with genuine remorse... and maybe a little anger. Against her back she felt more than heard Sypha's murmur of agreement, and a thick stab of guilt hit her again. Something they could have done. Something they _should_ have done.

Something _she_ should have done.

Even as a half-trained doctor, she ought to be doing more than just blood samples and staring at the microscope! There _had_ to have been something more she could have done to save the Sunbeam.

There was a faint ping from her data pad, and she pulled back enough from Trevor's chest to fish it out and unfold the screen.

"...there's a message," she said, voice still thick, but steady. "On the radio."

"_Hang_ the radio," Trevor grumped. "I don't want to listen to another distress call from another damned lifepod that we're going to be too late to help!"

"...what if it's from Alterra?" Sypha asked quietly. "It's been long enough that they've surely caught the distress signal from the Aurora by now..."

Anna nodded, and pushed free from their combined hug. It hurt to leave that comfort, hurt to not take as much of it as she could... but no. She had to be stronger than this.

"I'll go give it a listen. You two should get back to the hab. You're _supposed_ to be resting," and she gave Sypha a pointed look.

"Anna," Trevor began.

"I'm okay," she interrupted. "I'll check the message, and get back to you on the portable."

He looked at her for a long moment, then sighed a little, and got to his feet, helping Sypha to stand.

"You'd better," he said, his tone mock-threatening. "Sypha's the one with the injured leg, not me, after all."

She managed a weak smile, and watched as he helped Sypha limp back up the path that would take them to the teleporter. When they were out of sight, she bowed her head and let out a long, tired sigh. She loved her cousin, and she loved Sypha. Be damned to hell if she was going to let anything more happen to them if she could avoid it.

Half-trained or not, she knew enough to figure out what was and wasn't a pathogen. If she took multiple samples of other indigenous life forms, maybe she would find something that could work. It would increase her exposure to the infection, but if she found a way to treat the infection's symptoms, well, it would be worth it.

But first, the message.

* * *

"-so I'm going to head over to the Aurora and go into the captain's quarters for the data," she said into the portable radio as she perched on top of lifepod nine. "If I stick to the surface, I can avoid the leviathan, right?"

"_...I mean technically, but Anna, you really shouldn't go by yourself,_" Trevor said. "_Let me come with you._"

"No, I want you to stay with Sypha."

"_I don't need a babysitter!_" Sypha protested.

"I know you don't, but I'll feel better if he stays with you. I'm not going on a treasure hunt, I'm _just_ going to the Captain's cabin, and one person on a seaglide can be more easily missed."

"_I don't like it, Anna. You haven't _seen_ the leviathan. It's a beast!_"

"I'm small, and the seaglide is quieter than Bait. I'll be fine."

And she didn't want company, but saying that would _guarantee_ Trevor tagging along, never mind that he was supposed to keep his arm dry.

"_...you should at least stop by my lifepod before you go to the ship,_" he sighed after several minutes of silence. "_Pick up a few of the fire extinguishers I made, just in case some new ones have broken out inside._"

The storm a few days prior had put out all the external fires, at least, though with the Aurora's reactors still running, plenty of electrical sparks could still be seen at any time.

"Okay. I'll do that."

"_Anna._"

"Hmm?"

"_...be careful._"

Tired or not, she had to smile at Trevor's quiet concern.

"I'll do my best."

* * *

The Aurora was a _mess_. Even with a good portion of the fires put out, the ship was not fit for any form of habitation, and Anna was grateful that they'd been able to build their own habitat in a moderately safe place. The ship still trembled from time to time, due no doubt to unmanaged fires on decks Trevor couldn't have reached without some form of rope and harness, and live wires shot sparks at her as she passed. She did her best to tread carefully as she made her way through the ship, using the map Trevor had made on his previous visits.

The deeper in she went, the more grateful she was for the fire extinguishers Trevor had suggested, and her own oxygen tank. External fires were out, but internal fires were not; smoke hung thick and heavy in the air, and even crouching to stay low didn't keep her from coughing.

It was disturbing to see the ship so damaged. It hadn't always been a happy place—working on the Aurora hadn't exactly been _exciting_ while they were traveling to their destination, which had led to a lot of different issues cropping up and crew and officers—but it had been a good one. A comfortable one, even.

Seeing it a wreck, with no signs of life except the little bleeders that had swum in through every available gap in the hull, was heartbreaking.

She bypassed more of the crew quarters without thinking too much about it; Trevor and Sypha had already gotten all the food and supplies they could from this place... as well as a few things that weren't strictly necessary, but added a bit of much needed color to the base. Let the Keep Calm kitty that now hung in her makeshift med bay. While she would have liked to find the cabin she'd shared with Sypha, she was on the wrong end of the ship for that, and several crossbeams were between her and the doorway.

Instead, she turned to the Captain's cabin, ducked the angrily sparking wires, and punched in the code that would let her in.

* * *

"An _escape rocket_?" Trevor leaned back in the chair, exasperated. "What the hell good will _that_ do us?"

"As soon as we find a way to shut the gun down, it'll get us back into the spaceway lanes," Anna replied.

"Any ideas on how we do that?" Sypha asked.

"Two; we find a cure and shut the gun down that way, or we find the power source and pull the plug."

"So, what you're saying is that we need to hurry up and build ourselves a Cyclops so we can find the thermal plant," Trevor said after a long minute.

"Yes. _And_ find out if there's some way of curing the infection."

There was thoughtful, tired silence for several minutes, then Trevor lifted his head slightly and gave her a look.

"There's more, isn't there?" he asked.

"...yes, but..." she sighed after a minute; no point in hiding it. "Remember that officer's log you found, the one about the Degasi and the secondary mission the Aurora had?"

He nodded.

"We weren't _meant_ to find survivors."

Trevor and Sypha both blinked at her.

"Come again?" Sypha said, head tipping in confusion.

Anna shook her head a little, and handed over her data pad so they could read what she'd gotten off the captain's terminal not related to the crash or the rocket blueprints that they couldn't yet use. Trevor read over Sypha's shoulder, then shook his head a little in disgust.

"Corporation politics," he groused.

"'Any personnel are to be rescued, if found in a survivable state; in the case of no survivors, please pass word to Alterra Corps and Tepes Industries.'" Sypha frowned. "Why Tepes In... _oh_."

"Mmhm," Anna nodded a little, slowly sipping water. "Mr. Tepes must've been someone they didn't want back for whatever reason."

"I can't decide if him being dead makes this sad, or him a lucky bastard," Trevor said after a moment.

"There's no guarantee he's dead," Sypha protested, passing the data pad back.

"Be real, Sypha," he snorted. "It's been a decade since the Degasi crashed. If one of them was still alive, we'd have found more than a wrecked base at this point."

Sypha scowled at him, but didn't argue. Anna only shrugged lightly. It would be nice to find other survivors, but they'd been on the only two landmasses in their area; no one had turned up. Surely if there had been someone left alive, they would have heard the Aurora hit and come to investigate...

"That's not our priority anyways," she said quietly, folding her hands in her lap. "We need to focus on surviving this planet, and figuring out a way to get that weapon shut down. I'll go out again tomorrow to check the grav traps; I want to see if there's something special about the smaller fish, see if maybe they've manufactured something to protect themselves against the infection. How's your leg?"

Sypha looked down at her injured limb for a moment, moving it carefully, then winced.

"Mad," she admitted.

"Okay. We'll put the topical pain killer on it tonight, and you'll actually stay off it tomorrow," and Anna made herself smile wryly. "Trevor?"

He shrugged.

"Doesn't hurt too bad. My back's itchy, but that's ignorable."

She nodded.

"If you feel up to it, get as much metal and other materials off the island as you can. Try and avoid going into the water if you please... and see if you can deconstruct the lifepod."

"What, yours?" he blinked at her in surprise as she nodded. "Why?"

"It's not actively being used for anything; the materials could be used to shortcut complicated systems for the Cyclops, and give use the resources to eventually outfit said Cyclops with the things we're going to really need when we go down deep."

"It's... prudent," Sypha said after a moment, nodding her agreement. "We need Lifepod Five as a distance marker, but ours isn't even storage space. I think I'm with Anna; if you can break it down, we can use all the pieces for something else."

"Well, I'll give it shot," Trevor said after a long moment. "We could just deconstruct part of this base too, though."

Anna shook her head a little.

"We need everything that's been built here," she pointed out. "Whether we like it or not, this is going to be home until we can get to the next step."

And if they ended up succumbing to the disease like the first survivors probably did... well, at least they would be able to do it in comfort.

* * *

Survivor's log, Anna Torres

Trevor and Sypha are curled up again like a pair of puppies. I wish we could fit the beds together better, give ourselves more room to sprawl, but we need them to not be on the floor so that they don't start growing mold from the water we inevitably track in.

They look cute together. I'm glad at least something seems to be going right.

We couldn't save the Sunbeam. I'm scared to admit that we might not even be able to save ourselves. Even with the haphazard notes from Dr. Montblanc's work... well, everything I've been able to pull is all out of order, and it's hard to sort. It's like I got four different drafts at random, and trying to make them all match up... Well, it's something to do while the analyzer complies the data I need.

I don't want to tell Trevor or Sypha yet, but I think I'm going to take Bait and go scouting down deeper. Maybe the reason we haven't found something of use is because we're still trying to play it safe. Trevor found a mark 1 depth module in the Aurora's secondary moth bay, and we might have just enough materials to make another one so he doesn't notice it's missing.

I don't like not telling them... but if this infection reacts the way diseases have in the past, the more stress they're put under, the more rapidly it'll progress. And I'll do everything I have to so that they can stay alive.

Even if it means I don't.


	10. Nine

Nine

"Okay, you're going to have to tell that story to me again, because _what?_" Trevor asked.

Sypha's giggling didn't help. Anna sighed, and continued feeding Peepers into the fabricator so they'd have something to eat.

"I was over at the grav trap in the creepvines," she said patiently. "I saw a stalker caught in the fronds, and cut it free."

"..._why?_ Those bastards take bites out of me every time I end up over there!"

"Because I felt sorry for it," and she shrugged lightly. "Everything has a right to live, Trevor, even if it does think you constitute a meal. Besides, it didn't hurt me."

He snorted a little, shaking his head.

"_I've_ been bit," he complained. "_Sypha_, got bit. But you? You did _not!_ That's not fair."

"You provoke them," Sypha pointed out with a grin.

"It was probably just a one-time thing anyways, Trevor," Anna replied dryly, bringing over the freshly roasted fish so they could all eat. "I'm sure next time I go out, it'll be much more fraught. Would that make you feel better?"

"No! You're our medic, you're not supposed to get hurt," he huffed.

Now she grinned, only slightly forced.

"So, you're upset because I didn't get bit, but you also don't _want_ me to get bit?"

"Stop applying logic!"

Sypha just laughed at both of them.

* * *

"Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?"

Anna looked up from her desk, repair tool and copper wire in hand, then half-shrugged.

"I wasn't tired. I want this darn thing fixed. Then I can get all the data, and clear it so you can have one too."

Sypha leaned against the counter, idly spinning one of the empty sample jars on its edge before resettling it.

"I really don't need one," she replied after a moment. "Between you and Trevor, I'm covered."

"Maybe, but it'd still be better if you had your own."

"Anna... are you okay?"

She blinked, and glanced up at Sypha again, then away.

"I'm fine."

"You're going off for hours," Sypha said gently. "And your seamoth has lots of little cracks when you come back."

"We can't get _all_ our materials from above a hundred feet," Anna replied, keeping her tone light, wry. "I always make sure to repair Bait before I go out again, and I check in at the scanner room so I know what I'm looking for. I promise, I'm careful."

Sypha just continued to lean on the counter, frowning at her gently.

"Anna, the Sunbeam wasn't anyone's fault..."

"I'm not thinking about the Sunbeam, Sypha, I'm thinking about us, and keeping us alive. Every disease has a cure. And there's something on this planet keeping it alive, despite its horrific level of infection," Anna interrupted, looking up at her friend. "I'm sure of it."

Sypha studied her, then sighed a little.

"Okay... well... don't pass out on your desk again, or Trevor will fuss at you."

"I know. I'll try not to. I don't enjoy having a crick in my neck when I wake up."

That got a small giggle, then Sypha turned and descended the ladder. Once below, Anna could hear the soft murmur of voices; no doubt telling Trevor what was going on.

Under her hands there was a small snap as electrical current connected just long enough for a sync to start.

_Download interrupted; insufficient battery. Warning: some files may be corrupted._

She rolled her eyes and started flicking through files. Two audio logs this time... those could wait for Trevor and Sypha. And one supplemental that, as she read it, made her eyes go wide.

* * *

Degasi Ship's Log, Supplementary Entry 7

Acting Commander, Chief Medical Officer Liesse Montblanc

_Base coordinates attached_

The antibiotics are helping to at least manage the symptoms, though they do not seem to be actually treating the infection. We'll take any improvement that lets us be functional. Tepes is definitely showing signs of strain from attempting to handle all the tasks to keep the base running by himself, despite our protests to the contrary. His sensitivity to the sun has worsened to the point that he can no longer work outside during daylight hours, and prolonged exposure is causing severe burns. Additionally, he can only dive in the shallows for short periods. Deeper water seems safer for him.

There is a cave system about 200 meters deep, in a generally northwestern direction, that has proven to be rich in resources. Tepes has also expressed interest in the schools of peepers in the area, and has pointed out that he has yet to see a fully infected peeper fish. It is possible they have some sort of connection to the bacterial inhibitor we have hypothesized. The antibiotic treatment that Scott and I have been taking has at least eased our symptoms enough we can work, and we are constructing a secondary base in the caves. Research facilities are a priority; we need to learn all we can about this infection, and if Tepes is right about the peepers having a connection to the inhibitor, they will give us a lead.

A proper medbay will also not go amiss if things continue as current trends suggest.

* * *

"Another base," she whispered. "They went _deeper_. They went from here to..."

She held up the data pad and slowly turned in a circle until it gave a soft ping.

"That way. Down and northwest."

After a moment of chewing on her lip in thought, she nodded firmly. She would go. Trevor and Sypha were sleeping, or would be soon. They both slept hard and deep these days, thanks to the rigorous amount of physical energy they expended in swimming. So even with the habitat announcing her leaving, they'd likely stay asleep.

But she'd leave a note, and take a portable, just so they wouldn't have to worry.

* * *

The base, when she finally found it, was an absolute wreck in the light from her seamoth. She'd had to dodge eel-like creatures that lived in the glowing, mushroom-shaped flora, and the base itself seemed to be covered in what looked like jellyfish, and starfish of a type that glowed an eerie green. She circled it a couple of times in Bait, then ducked into the rusted moon pool.

The pool was flooded, but its connection to the base was open, so she slid out of Bait and moved to explore with care; the lightly reinforced dive suit idea that Sypha had did help, but they were at almost three hundred feet, and she could feel it. Bait's mark 2 module meant that _it_ was actually able to handle the pressure better than _she_ was.

She did a quick, careful tour; many of the jellyfish—dropping stingers she discovered they were called—dangled from the ceiling, which made it so that she had to pull herself along the floor to avoid getting a shock. But despite its rusted appearance and the invasion of sea life, the base looked... arguably _better_ than the one they'd found on the floating island. The damage was mostly the sea life and one shattered window.

The Degasi survivors had made it down here; it was likely that the habitat's computer held even more records of their findings. Maybe even more than hints at a cure.

She could _not_ pass that up.

But she also couldn't do it alone.

So... how to get Trevor down there, without making him upset?

* * *

"So you think there's a base down there?"

Anna nodded. Trevor gave her a skeptical look.

"Look for yourself; these are the coordinates. We just need a mark 2 depth module for Sushi or Sashimi, and you could check it out."

"_Why_ did I let you name the seamoth again?"

"Because you weren't able to think of anything. What's wrong with Bait, Sushi, and Sashimi anyways?"

Sypha ducked her head to hide her grin, but it didn't do anything to muffled the giggles. Trevor grumbled a little, then waved a hand dismissively; he'd already been on the losing side of that argument three times.

"Not Bait?"

Anna shrugged.

"I've been getting stuff from father down in Bait; I made one a few days ago," she admitted.

He made a faintly protesting sound, then sighed after a moment.

"Okay, fine. What if we find this base, what then?"

"Well, we could see if we could use it for ourselves. There's materials and things deeper down that aren't easy to get from up here when you're trying to conserve battery life and energy. It might be a bit of a stretch to have all three of us at different places, but... aren't we doing that already?"

He rested his elbows on his knees, steepled his fingers, and rested his face against his hands in thought.

"What about power?" Sypha asked.

"We have the materials from the lifepod. I _think_ there's enough there to make a bioreactor if we need it."

They absolutely _would_ need it, but she wasn't looking to start a fight with Trevor about having gone and found the place herself. Unlike the seamoth module creation, he wouldn't be inclined to let it go.

"All right," Trevor said with a nod, lightly smacking his knees. "Mind if I borrow Bait's module?"

"As long as you give it back... I'm going to need it to get more materials to make two more so that the Seafood Trio can stick together."

He snorted a little, but nodded.

"Let's hope the radios can still connect over that distance and with whatever's in between us and this theoretical base," he said, getting to his feet and stretching absently.

"Well, we're surrounded by rock here, and it hasn't had a problem yet," Sypha pointed out.

"Yet being the key word there."

"You are _such_ a pessimist."

Anna left them to their playful bickering, climbing back up to check on the sample analyzer.

* * *

"_This place is a _mess!" Trevor complained radio crackling intermittently. "_There's jellyfish hanging from the _ceiling_, Anna!_"

"But you found it?"

"_Yeah, I found it. What's left of it, anyways. Even the moon pool is flooded... I don't know, Anna, I don't think this place is repairable. Even with a bioreactor, we'd need a lot of extra materials._"

She chewed uncertainly on her lower lip. She'd _seen_ it, but maybe she hadn't been looking hard enough. She'd been more focused on proving it was there and getting back before they noticed she was gone than actually assessing the damage.

"_Huh..._"

"What?"

"_If I had to guess, most of the damage that was done was interior,_" he said. "_Someone threw a fit about something, broke a window and flooded the place. Time did the rest._"

"So by that logic, if we fix the window and set up a power source so that we can pump out all the water, we should be okay?"

He made a non-committal sound.

"_I'm going to get out and look around more. Give me... ten minutes._"

"Be careful."

_Sypha Belnades has returned to the habitat_.

"Anna?~"

"Uh here," Anna called, leaning back in her chair slightly.

Sypha was quick to ascend the ladder.

"How's it going?" she asked, dropping a damp bag onto the floor. "Any luck?"

"Trevor found it, but he says it's a mess," Anna replied. "What's all this?"

"I went hunting for things to make bioreactors," was the pleased reply. "I thought it might be useful to have one up here too."

"In addition to the solar panels?"

"You can never have too much power, especially not when we're a constant drain," Sypha replied practically.

Well, that was certainly true.

"Where were you going to put it?" Anna asked curiously.

"I was thinking of putting it down with the moon pool and the scanner room, since that connection isn't always the best," Sypha replied, leaning against the counter.

She winced a little, then shifted her weight, making Anna's attention sharpen.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Sypha said reassuringly. "I wasn't paying attention and got sort of... run over by a fish. A big fish."

"Which fish?"

"That one that looks like it could be a manatee with the gas pods on its tail. I think I got between it and something to eat and it got crabby."

Anna huffed a small laugh and shook her head.

"Since Trevor's not here, and will theoretically be busy for another... eight minutes, let's get your exam over with early," she suggested.

Sypha groaned, but it was theatrical, and obligingly started to strip.

* * *

"So, maybe Anna's right and we could use it as a hold point," Trevor said as he rubbed his hair tiredly with a towel. "We're going to have to deal with stalkers though... regular glass just won't cut it at three hundred feet-ow!"

"Well maybe if you'd been wearing your gloves, you wouldn't have been stung so badly, now hold still," Anna scolded gently.

He huffed, wincing again as she carefully smeared the anti-bacterial ointment over the red, raised skin where the drooping stingers had managed to get him.

"The gloves aren't flexible enough," he grumbled.

"There's not much to be done about that," Anna replied, adding a light bandage. "How do you want to do this?"

Trevor thought for a moment while Anna worked on his other hand, then sighed.

"I want you and Sypha to go down and look for yourselves," he said finally. "I'm not _entirely_ convinced, but if you both think it's worth it, we can do it. Then I guess we start getting together things to fix it."

Anna hid a smile; he was convinced, he just didn't want to tell them what to do.

"I mean, you found it, and I'm already convinced that we should use it," she said firmly. "Once the Seafood Trio all have mark 2 modules in them, we'll also have a greater range of movement."

"I agree with Anna," Sypha nodded, nibbling on a marblemelon slice. "If it's down there and we can make it work, we should make it work. I don't need to see it to know that we need it."

Trevor sighed, but he was smiling faintly.

"All right. Then someone's going to have to deal with some stalkers. We'll need the teeth so we can replace the broken window. Did you manage to find things for a bioreactor?"

Sypha nodded, and grinned.

"Ran afoul of a gaspod, but I got more than enough to make two, actually. I was going to add a room next to the moon pool so that we can have a steadier source of power than the solar panels, and then once I see the base, I can figure out what to do there."

"What about more mark two depth modules?"

Anna shook her head lightly.

"I've had to keep an eye on the samples today. One of them was reacting strangely, so I didn't want to leave it alone. If Sypha's okay with watching them, though, I can go and track some stuff down now."

"I can do that," Sypha said with a nod.

"Maybe leave it for morning?" Trevor suggested, looking out a window at the shadows on the cliffs that shielded their home.

"The faster I get them, the sooner it's done. Besides, down at two hundred you don't see much daylight anyways," Anna replied, getting to her feet. "Don't worry so much, Trevor. I'm careful. More careful than you, at least."

He snorted slightly and she smiled, then made her way to the exit of the habitat.

* * *

"_You weren't kidding, this place is a mess,_" Sypha observed as they made it down to the base.

"_Told you so_," Trevor said.

"We'll have to expand the moon pool if we want to dock all three subs," Anna said as she circled the base, trying to act as though she hadn't been there already once before. "Not to mention prying all the aquatic life out of there..."

"_I've got a knife,_" Trevor replied nudging Sushi closer to Bait.

"_We've _all_ got knives, Trevor,_" Sypha said dryly, taking Sashimi up and over the top of the pool. "_Where do we _start_, though?_"

"_With the windows,_" Trevor said after a moment. "_The big broken one in the back, and then dealing with the cracks the rest of them have. We could probably take that observatory out completely, unless either of you wanted to keep it?_"

"_Well, it would be useful to see what those eels do regularly,_" Sypha pointed out. "_So we can plan around them and all, instead of getting hit._"

"_...true. All right, so we're going to need a _lot_ of stalker teeth and quartz to start us off._"

"Titanium and lithium too," Anna put in after a moment. "If it's this rusty out here, we may just need to make reinforced bulkheads that we can put over the top instead of trying to repair all of the exterior skin. Did you find anything interesting inside?"

"_Other than it looking like someone threw a huge fit? Not really. Why?_"

"I was hoping for another data pad," she admitted. "It's easier to get things from those than it will be to repair the base and try pulling files from a cranky back up system."

Both of them laughed, but it was the rueful sort of agreement.

"_Yeah, after being stabbed by those jellyfish, I kind of decided to not go in farther,_" Trevor said dryly. "_One those are out of the way, we can take a more thorough look, though, if it'll make you feel better._"

There was something odd in his words, an undercurrent she couldn't quite read without seeing his face that made her feel nervous. She brushed it off after a moment, and turned Bait deftly.

"Well, now we have an idea of what we need to do, so let's go do it!"

* * *

"So you're telling me this thing _brought_ you what we wanted?" Trevor asked, staring at her.

Anna flushed and shrugged a little helplessly.

"It brought me Peepers and one of its dead kin so I could have the teeth, yes."

Sypha, still giggling madly, just shook her head. Trevor made a faintly disgruntled noise, running a hand through his hair.

"We get bit. You get a pet. What. The hell."

"_The point is_, now we have plenty of stalker teeth to fix the glass, and enough food for a couple of days. I also put a few Peepers from the grav trap into the containment tank to see if we can't breed them for a steadier, easier to get source instead of having to take one of the Seafood Trio out to your lifepod."

He still looked annoyed, and there was something under it that made her uneasy. She'd seen that look before, in her father's face, her uncle's. But no, this was Trevor, he wouldn't be like them.

Would he?

* * *

"_Okay, I'm turning the reactor on,_" Sypha reported. "_If we're right, it'll engage the pumps, and- whoop!_"

Anna winced at the thud which transmitted over the radio. The partially repaired base seemed to vibrate as it powered up, and she had to fight a bit to hold Bait steady as the water was forcefully expelled from the interior.

"You okay?" she asked when everything had gone still again. "Is it safe to come in?"

"_I'm fine. Forgot that gravity would be a thing again once I did that_," Sypha sounded rueful more than hurt, which made Anna sigh quietly in relief. "_Give it a couple more minutes, the oxygen's still off. It's going through a full system reboot... There it goes. Okay, I think it's safe now._"

* * *

"It's a mess," Trevor said frankly, looking at the broken pad in Anna's hands. "Are you sure you can get anything off of that?"

"I won't know until I try," Anna replied, though she was dubiously turning the pieces of the pad in her hand. "It takes a lot of force to do this, even with an older model. They're supposed to be practically indestructible, you know?"

"I mean, one of the guys in cargo stepped on his with the prawn suit," Trevor replied dryly, making her giggle. "Cracked the screen all to hell, and it was fixing itself for like a week. Should've heard the chief reaming him out for it."

"We did, through you," Sypha said dryly. "What about the old pad, Anna, did you finish with that one?"

"No, we've been so busy working down here that I haven't touched it in like... a week?" Anna half-shrugged. "The last time I poked it we got the coordinates for here and a couple more partial audio. I suppose I should get back to working on it..."

"We could all use a day to relax," Trevor put in. "The weather's cleared up on the surface again, and I was thinking about getting a tan."

Anna snorted, shaking her head.

"Do you even _know_ how to tan?" Sypha asked.

"You lay out under the sun and flip over periodically like you're a pancake, why?"

Now _Sypha_ snorted as Anna was reduced to giggles.

* * *

"_This would be a lot easier if we had a proper medbay-_ _ah!__"_

They all winced at the pained noise, in sympathy and recognition. Trevor reflexively rubbed his arm, which had a new set of stitches, courtesy of a stalker that had decided to take an extreme dislike to him and done more than just bite.

"_Ach, I am sorry,_" Montblanc said. The grimace was clear in the audio. "_There is a lot of damage here to disinfect. And even with the stitching, it will scar._"

"_I don't mind scars._"

"_It would have done less damage if it had hit you directly..._" Montblanc sounded annoyed.

"_I know, but if you mention that to Scott he'll pout. And he really __was_ _trying._"

"He knows my pain," Trevor said with a snicker.

"I still want to know how a fish evolved so that it _explodes_," Sypha said, shaking her head dubiously. "There's more?"

Anna nodded.

_Beginning playback_.

"_I've gotten another load of creepvines, and had some good luck with the grav traps for fish,_" Tepes said, sounding weary. "_I'll see what I can do with it..._"

"_You will do no such thing,_" Montblanc said, her tone firm. "_You are exhausted, and need some rest._"

"_I'm all right._"

"_Nonsense, you have done all the hard work, we are not so sick we cannot do smaller tasks around the base._"

"_Yeah, Tepes,_" Scoot chimed in. "_We can still cook and all that. Go sit down, you look like shit._"

"How much did you manage to pull?" Trevor asked after a minute as Anna scrolled through the files.

"Oh, it's fixed and working now, so I pulled everything before I reset it. Why?"

"Well, as funny as it is to listen to them, the logs told us more than the audio," he pointed out. "Did you get any more of those?"

"Mn... There were only two we didn't have, but here's what they say..."

* * *

Degasi Ship's Log, Supplementary Entry 3

Acting Commander, Chief Medical Officer Liesse Montblanc

We've found more of the wreckage of the Degasi, fragments of the hull that appear to be from the bridge. Scott reports that based on the damage he saw, it looks almost as if some sort of energy weapon cut through the bridge. We can't rule out the possibility of some sort of interspatial quantum phenomena, but the implications of that are almost as disturbing as the implications of the other. If the hull fragment is from where we think it was, there could hardly have been any survivors on the bridge, between the damage and the loss of atmo.

We still have not located any other survivors or been able to reach anyone on radio. It is beginning to look like only the three of us made it, which is not ideal. I had expected some resistance from Tepes given his position as Shareholder, but it is Scott that has been... difficult. But I should hope he understands that we must all work together, especially as it is Scott himself that has suffered the first injury, when a much larger and territorial species of fish attacked him on a dive. The injury itself is fairly minor, and will need minimal treatment, but it is a reminder that we cannot count on the native wildlife to be passive to our presence. We are all in generally good health otherwise, though Tepes is proving to be more sensitive to the sunlight on this planet than we are.

We have managed to reconstruct a seamoth submersible, and Tepes took it on an exploratory mission to see if he could find anything of use or interest. He has reported a larger landmass several kilometers away, with what looked like artificial structures. We are making plans to investigate further. If the larger island proves more hospitable, we will likely relocate our base camp there.

* * *

Degasi Ship's Log, Supplementary Entry 8

Acting Commander, Chief Medical Officer Liesse Montblanc

Adrian is unable to stay on the surface any longer, due to how sensitized to the sun he has become. If this planet were more like Earth, I expect things would be easier. But with the two moons of this planet, one of which is enormous, they reflect more light from the sun, and even that reflected light is too much for him. We had waited until nightfall to return to the surface once we were done in the caves for the time being. It had sufficed in the past, however, this time, he started burning as soon as he swam out of the shadow of the Cyclops. We were able to get him back aboard, but only just, and it is clear that he cannot tolerate even the slightest amount of sunlight. His wetsuit protected him somewhat, but his face and hands are badly burned.

I had thought it was merely a combination of his own pale complexion and possibly light of a different wavelength filtered through an atmosphere with a different density, but his sensitivity is so exaggerated that that cannot be the case. I am going to try running some tests on blood samples I have taken from him. I have confirmed that he is also infected, and in fact, seems to have a higher bacteria count than either Scott or I. It is possible that his solar sensitivity is caused by the infection; in one way it would make it simpler, because treating one would necessarily treat the other, but at the same time, the bacteria must be acting on his system in highly complex ways to cause such effects.

We are taking him to the base in the caves. We have enough of it constructed that it is habitable, and it is out of reach of even filtered sunlight. I also will have better medical facilities there. Once his burns heal, we will decide what to do with the island base, but for the time being, we must retreat to the caves.

* * *

"They must've been stuck there permanently, considering how busted up the bases up top are," he said after a long minute. "Is it a good thing or a bad thing that we haven't found any bodies yet, though?"

"Trevor, don't be morbid," Sypha scolded, gently smacking his shoulder.

Anna just shrugged, stifling a yawn.

"The only thing we can say for certain is that they left that base too," she said. "Maybe once I start working on the other pad, we'll get more answers."

* * *

Survivor's log, Anna Torres

Repairing a base instead of building it from scratch makes some things easier and other things harder; the computer system of the interior is completely shot, and likes to decamp without warning. Trevor and Sypha have been working hard to bring me copper, gold, and what loose silver they can find so that I can convince the fabricator it wants to build me wire and computer chips, but it's been slow going. Trevor would be more use to me _in_ the base instead of out of it, but I'm making do. I managed to get the oxygen system repaired so that it stops trying to turn off every five minutes, at least. The lights are next.

Sypha's made good use of her data pad, even if it's out of date by a decade. Since it only needs to sync with ours and whatever Alterra computer that's stored information on all these creatures, it seems to be functioning like it should. It's linked to the habitat builder and the fabricator fine, though sometimes she has to be a bit forceful in hitting the screen to make it comply. It's less obliging with the sample analyzers, but we're working on that...

Going off the logs of Dr. Montblanc, we've focused or attention on the Peepers. The stalker I saved brings me more than a few when I go out to check the grav traps, and I've handled... well, there have been at least three that have carried some of the inhibitor. I don't think the Peepers produce it, I think they _find_ it somewhere, and bring it up to the rest of the ocean. If they produced it, I don't think this bacteria would be half as threatening... though the Peeper population would certainly be much smaller. I know it works because I gave one of those fish to Trevor, and he was acting more like himself for two days...

I'm worried about him. He's been acting odd. Sometimes he'll say something that sounds like it should be a joke, but then I'll look at him and it's not a joke to him, he's being serious, and that makes the joke threatening. It scares me. It reminds me too much of living back in our old trans-gov with...

It's made my anxiety flare up, and I can't tell the nanites to do anything. I wish one of the other doctors on the ship had survived, someone with the right licenses to unlock the old programming the had that helped mitigate the problem. It wouldn't solve anything, but anxiety makes it so hard to think, and so hard to sleep...

I think Sypha suspects I'm having trouble sleeping, but she hasn't brought it up. She's the only one of us who seems to be mostly normal, despite developing cysts of her own. Hers are still fairly small, at least, and confined... I shouldn't have been surprised that they were mainly clustered around the spots where she got bit a couple weeks ago, but I admit, I was.

Trevor's back has broken out in more of them too, enough that he's been sleeping on his stomach. We made a special pillow for him so that he wouldn't wake up with a crick in his neck, but I wonder how much longer they'll be confined to just his back...

I need to find more Peepers that have this inhibitor. I think if we can find the source, we can fix everything. But I also think it's down in the depths, and we don't yet have the ability to explore beyond the Jellyshroom base.

I don't know what to do.


	11. Ten

Ten

_Download in progress._

_ Download interrupted. Warning; some files may be corrupted._

Anna sighed in irritation. She'd _thought_ she was getting better at repairing things, but clearly a base was easier than a data pad. Which was just plain rude because the base was much more _complicated_, especially considering they had to rewire most of it to stop randomly shutting down with system shorts.

"Did you give me _anything_?" she muttered, flicking through to the download screen.

One file was highlighted as new, while three others had been halted halfway through and corrupted into gibberish in the process. Anna muttered uncomplimentary things under her breath, then opened the file labeled Please Read.

* * *

I am sorry, Scott. I wish this had not been necessary. But I can no longer trust you, and I do not believe it is safe for us to share the same space. I will take him with me to another research base. We will continue working on developing a treatment for as long as we can, and if we come up with something better than we already have, I will transmit the fabricator files to you. I have left the fabricator programmed with the current vaccine, and you should use it at the same frequency. The caves base will support one person much better than three, and you should not have to go for resources as often. I will attempt to find some way of maintaining communication, but please refrain from locating us. This is not what my first choice would have been, but I think it has progressed to the point this is the only reasonable choice.

-LM

* * *

Anna blinked. Read the file a second time. Blinked again.

"A vaccine. A _vaccine!_"

She shot to her feet, not caring that technically it was late and her friends were sleeping. This was too important to not share, and if Trevor wanted to get upset that she'd been working instead of resting, well, he needed to see this too.

"Trevor! Sypha! _They had a vaccine!_"

* * *

The fabricator didn't want to work at first. Many of its parts were rusted clean through and needed replacing more than repair, but they didn't dare deconstruct it, for fear of losing the files that would craft a variant of the vaccine the Degasi survivors had used. Crafting and replacing all the pieces by hand was a frustrating, exacting task that took a day and a half of local time, and then they had to rewire the rest of the room so that it stopped shutting the power off on them midway.

"You know, when you said they had a vaccine, I didn't expect it'd take this much effort to get to it," Trevor grumbled.

"You think I _did?_" Anna retorted, watching the fabricator warily. "Come on, come on, boot up..."

There was an unpleasant sound, a squealing crunch as the machine attempted to unfold as it turned on that made all of them wince.

"Do you have it?" Sypha asked once the noise had stopped.

Anna looked at her data pad, and flicked through the fabricators options. There was an entirely new tab, with a list of medical supplies that the base could fabricate up with the right materials, and she scanned through it slowly. Clearly Dr. Montblanc had been a true and proper doctor, to have all of that available to her.

At the end of the list was a file labeled 'vaccine'.

"...we need two Peepers that trail orange glitter, a bladderfish, a rabbit ray, some brain coral, and salt."

"Great," Trevor muttered. "The _rare_ pain in the ass fish."

"At least we know what to look for," Sypha said sharply. "It's a _vaccine_, Trevor, even if it's not a cure."

"We can get most of it from the shallows," Anna said, downloading the relevant files. "And there's a salt deposit not too far away. It looks like we'll get several vials worth at that, so while it'll be troublesome to get, it'll be _worth_ it too."

"...all right," he sighed. "I'll take Sushi and go up to see if I can't find the stupid things."

Anna watched him go with unease writhing in her belly.

"...Is he okay?" Sypha asked softly.

"I don't know... some of the notes I got from Dr. Montblanc's pad suggested that increased aggression was part of the infection symptoms. But you seem to be fairly normal, and I haven't... well, I haven't felt _aggression_, at any rate."

Sypha hummed a little in uneasy agreement.

"...will you be okay down here on your own?" she asked, giving Anna a worried look. "I don't think he should be by himself right now."

"You go ahead," and Anna smiled at her friend. "Make sure he doesn't get bit. I have the repair tool and plenty of supplies. Maybe I can finish fixing up the med bay, and get started on the living quarters."

Sypha still looked at her in concern, then after a moment leaned in and kissed Anna on the cheek. It surprised her enough to stare as Sypha left, but once she heard Sashimi scooting off after Sushi, she gave herself a sharp shake, and bent her head to the next task.

* * *

"...how do you feel?"

Trevor shook his head a little, then looked up at his cousin with a somewhat befuddled expression.

"Like I've been stuck in a fog bank," he admitted after a moment. "What's going on?"

"Well, you just got your first vaccine dose, thanks to Sypha's sharp eyes," Anna said, patting him carefully on the shoulder. "According to the notes it's supposed to kick in quickly, but it helps if you also get some rest after your injection. Sypha's already laying down, though I don't know if she's asleep yet."

"Yeah..." he paused though, and looked at her narrowly. "...I've been kind of an ass these past couple weeks, haven't I?"

Anna tried to keep a straight face, but couldn't help the half-smile.

"I mean, you're _always_ kind of an ass, Trevor. It's part of your charm."

"No, I mean I've _really_ been an ass," he said with a small frown. "And you're working yourself to pieces because of it."

"Trevor..." Anna sighed a little, then rested her hand on his shoulder, mindful of the glowing sores. "It's not your fault, and I _know_ you're not to blame. One of the infections symptoms is increased aggression. That's all. You've just been a bit more touchy."

"I didn't... hurt anyone?" he asked, reached up and touching her face carefully. "Say anything too stupid, or...?"

"No, Trevor, we're fine. Even if you're in something of a fog, you seemed to know when you were being too much of a jerk and went off to clear your head and get materials."

He looked at her for a long minute; Anna sighed and looked away.

"Okay. Fine. It's... it's scary when you're like that. You're not _you_. It... it brings up bad memories. But you never _did_ anything Trevor. Promise. You just were a bit ruder, a bit less understanding."

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

"It's not your fault," she repeated.

"Maybe not, but that doesn't mean it's not affecting you," he pointed out. "I _know you_, Anna. Remember? We had a childhood together. Or something like that. So I know that look on your face."

"Trevor..."

Anna sighed, then hugged him.

"It's okay. You're my favorite cousin, and I will _make it_ okay," she said, a little fiercely. "You're not like my father or my uncles, you're _better_ than them, and it's the infection that made you act the way they did. It's not who _you_ are."

He hugged her back, carefully, holding on just as long as she did... and then a little longer.

"Trevor, you should go lay down now," she said quietly when he finally let go. "Let the vaccine have some extra time to work."

"...okay... be sure you take your dose too," he said, getting up carefully.

She smiled at him; she felt more relaxed than she had for a while.

"It's right there," and she pointed at the syringe waiting to be used. "Don't worry, I know how to give my own shots. You go curl up with Sypha, I'll be down shortly."

He eyed her for a moment, then nodded, and turned to leave the med lab.

"Hey, Anna?"

She glanced up, making an inquisitive sound.

"Don't take too long, or Sypha will fuss."

Anna half-smiled and made a shooing gesture.

"Go to bed, Trevor."

* * *

It wasn't a perfect cure, of course, but it helped alleviate the worst of the symptoms. Trevor's mood swings eased out, much to everyone's relief, and the cysts on all of them shrank a bit, stopped itching quite as badly.

Anna took meticulous notes, paying close attention to the moods of her friends as well as the visible symptoms, and concluded that a vaccine shot every week was effective enough for their current levels, and she was not above badgering them into getting their doses.

But her own were much less regulated.

Logically, she knew it was bad. Knew she should be taking the dose as suggested by Dr. Montblanc's notes, at the same regularity as her friends. But the glittering Peepers were hard to find outside of Jellybase, and it cost them power cell depletion to make surface runs for the grav traps in the creepvine beds. Even if it made a dozen vials in one shot, it still wasn't what she considered to be enough for them to live on.

And it most _certainly_ wasn't the cure they needed to get off-world.

* * *

"And this will get us down to nine hundred meters, but it's the deepest a 'moth can go," Anna said, holding out the module. "If we want any deeper, we're going to have to make prawn suits or a Cyclops. How's that looking?"

"One of the things with too many teeth broke the tether I had on the MVB, and I haven't been able to find it," Trevor sighed a little. "Must've been a storm or two while we've been busy fixing this place up. And we used up most of our spare titanium, so it'll be a few days before I can fab what we need to see if we can do that."

Sypha leaned against him sympathetically.

"Well, there's no rush. We've got enough of the vaccine to last a couple months," Anna said encouragingly. "The grow beds are doing all right now too, now that we fixed that one system short."

It maybe wasn't as nice as the surface base, and the lack of sunlight made things difficult at times, but it was pretty much fully functional.

"Have you gotten any more logs?"

"A couple. Mostly research notes. And of course a _lot_ of gibberish," Anna sighed theatrically, getting grins from her friends as she'd hoped. "Here, this is what I found so far..."

* * *

Degasi Supplementary Log Entry 9

Acting Commander Liesse Montblanc

Adrian's burns are healing, if slowly. I have hopes of preventing them from scarring too badly. We have finished the medbay in this secondary base, and are currently working on other facilities. Scott and I are well enough to work, and we are doing all that can be done. Adrian insists he is also well enough to work, but I absolutely forbid it. He was already in a decline due to overexerting himself on the surface, and the shock of the burns he sustained has only exacerbated that, especially given that he is already worn down by the infection. Unfortunately, his case seems so advanced that the general antibiotics are not doing anything to curb it, and we do not have an infinite supply of them anyway. His symptoms are bafflingly different than our own. So far, the closest comparison I can make is that some of the symptoms he is showing seem like some form of anemia. Blood labs will at least be easier to run with proper facilities.

He was correct in that the peepers have something to do with the inhibitor. There's some sort of enzyme that seems to neutralize the bacteria, though we do not believe they produce it. Rather, a large population of peepers seems to come into contact with the source of the enzyme and carry traces of it into the wider ocean. We have obtained samples of the enzyme from peepers we've caught, though they carry the enzyme in such minute amounts that it is difficult to isolate. Unfortunately, I do not have the skill necessary to do much more than isolate it, and Adrian is not up to prolonged periods of even light duty in the lab. We will try to collect a sufficient amount to teach the chemical composition to the fabricator if we can. If we can synthesize it, that will make adapting it to a treatment much easier.

Scott has been working on constructing a moonpool attached to the base, as it will make it more convenient to maintain the seamoths. It is a little awkward in the caves, but he is confident he can manage. Between the two of us, we are not falling behind on construction and supplies, so there is at least that.

Degasi Supplementary Log Entry 10

Acting Commander Liesse Montblanc

Adrian is still not what I would consider fit for active duty, but as he has pointed out, I cannot do this by myself. His burns have at least mostly healed. He is still trying to work through the infection, with limited success. As his symptoms are different than ours, I am not able to accurately judge how far the infection has progressed with him. I am still running the lab work on his blood samples. Scott and I are showing more advanced stages of the infection; the cysts seem to primarily be on Scott's arms and across my left arm and upper chest and neck.

We have managed to create a small stockpile of the enzyme to work with. Unfortunately, our samples of the pure enzyme are too limited to use them to create a vaccine at the moment, especially as we require more testing to see how the bacteria reacts to it and how quickly it becomes active again. Obtaining samples from peepers is an exacting and time consuming process and can only be done in minuscule amounts. We are having trouble synthesizing it; there is something in the protein chain that we cannot encode properly in the fabricator for some reason. However, we have been able to synthesize an imperfect version of it, and we might be able to formulate a treatment based on that. I do not think it will cure the infection entirely, but it might slow the progression. At this stage, it likely cannot hurt to try.

The important elements of the habitat have been completed, living quarters and lab facilities and the med-bay. Scott is keeping himself occupied with trying to design additions to the habitat and gathering resources. I believe he is also attempting to ferment some of the local edibles, and while this is probably something I should be putting a stop to, so long as he does not become impaired or endanger himself, I see no reason to not allow it. We could all do with some relaxation. For the time being, we are all sticking pretty close to the habitat, though eventually exploratory missions will resume. The Cyclops has a much greater crush depth than the seamoths, so some ventures will be possible. Scott's data pad has access to some prototype pressure compensatory designs, so hopefully we will be able to take the seamoths deeper for close up exploration.

* * *

"He tried to make _wine_ from _this?_" Trevor asked dubiously, holding up a slice of marblemelon. "That sounds... terrible, honestly."

"Coming from the man who liked to swipe the 'medicinal' rum on the ship, that's quite an insult," Sypha teased gently.

Trevor huffed, but smiled, not actually insulted.

"You could make vodka from the potatoes," Anna said wryly. "But I'd rather use that as a disinfectant."

"Of course you would, you're the doctor here~"

Anna rolled her eyes in tolerant good humor.

"I've triggered a couple of audio recordings, but nothing really worth talking about. The speaker system is still so damaged that all you get from it is angry garbled sounds," she continued, setting her data pad down again. "And admittedly, given the _rest_ of the contents of that first note I got, I'm not sure there's much _too_ find."

"I wonder where they went," Sypha said after a quiet moment. "What do you think happened?"

"Probably Scott did something stupid," Trevor offered after a moment, putting the rind aside for the bioreactor. "She did say she couldn't trust him any more. Maybe Tepes got worse, and became dead-weight."

"But she wouldn't be taking him to another base if he was dead-weight," Sypha countered. "Even doctors know when someone is beyond saving... right?"

Anna looked away; if she'd been in Dr. Montblanc's position with these two, she knew she wouldn't have stopped until she found a way to save them all, or died in the attempt. Somehow, she suspected Dr. Montblanc had felt the same.

"Speculation is all well and good," she said finally, "but we kind of got off topic. I'm going to put this module in Bait, and see if I can find anything farther off and deeper."

"Why are you taking the risks again?" Trevor asked, humor in his voice and concern in his eyes.

"Because I pilot Bait better than you pilot Sushi," she replied promptly.

"...you have to admit, she's right," Sypha said, her voice amused.

Trevor looked annoyed by the thought, then sighed after a moment.

"Okay. But don't stay out too long, or we'll come find you," he warned.

Anna smiled, and leaned over to give him a quick hug.

"I know," she said fondly. "I'll be good."

* * *

She found the wreck of a sub halfway down a series of caverns she hadn't explored before and winced a little at the sight; the bases had been proof of other people, but this poor thing was proof of their deaths. It was an absolute wreck of a seamoth; tears in the hull exposed wires and internal workings, the glass face had been broken across the middle, like something with large claws had taken a swipe at it, and it was half-plastered with green-hearted starfish. What she could make out of its interior made her want to stay far away from it; whether it was a corpse she was seeing or just an advanced form of the bacterium that infected the water she wasn't sure, and she didn't actually want to know. It was definitely a dangerous bio-hazard, though, and she marked it on the map her data pad's link to the seamoth's sonar was providing.

As she did, there was a very faint ping of a received message that gave her pause. They'd heard from all the downed lifepods, and even found most of them at this point, and there had been no radio messages from an outside source since the Sunbeam.

She eyed the wreck, then shook her head. No, it couldn't have come from that... could it?

Wary now, she pulled her seamoth back a bit, scooting father down the canyon until she was half-hidden among the dark rocks and bioluminescent plants before she scrolled through her files to see what had landed in her lap.

_Beginning playback._

"_You ran out on me, doc. Just... took off with a slimy son of a bitch shareholder who's more dead than alive anyway._" The voice was thick, almost wet. It sounded rather like someone speaking through a mouthful of water. "_I don't blame you, doc. Not really. They get in and fuck with your head. But it was the company that put us here. And he's Company, isn't he? Fancy rich shareholder, playing at being a scientist. Shoulda let me take care of it, doc. But I'll find him, sooner or later. And I'll take care of it, if he's not dead by then._"

"Madre de Dios," she murmured. "Scott?"

"_That's the biggest joke of all, isn't it? You keep talking about rescue and we just have to hold out until the company sends a ship. They're not gonna send shit,_" His voice broke, and a thick, wet cough ehoed in Bait for a few seconds, making her wince. His lungs had clearly deteriorated... "_I've figured it out now, the kharaa told me. None of us are going to get off this planet alive. Maybe you and me could have stretched it out for a while, but you ran out on me, doc. Don't know why you're fighting so hard to keep life in a living corpse. But I'll take care of it, eventually._"

Anna tried to stop the playback, but the data pad didn't seem inclined to let the file stop playing. It almost felt like shadows were gathering outside her seamoth, and ice crawled down her spine.

"_It's better to just stop fighting. Even the Builders couldn't get around it. The bacteria will get us just like it got them. And when the Oldest One dies, this world will belong to the kharaa alone. But you'll find out. I'll be out here, waiting for you. And as for him... he can't hide forever._"

After another bout of the thick, wet coughing, the audio file ceased.

Anna shuddered, and deleted it with haste, then hugged herself uneasily. He'd said kharaa... What was kharaa? Who were the Builders, and who was the Oldest One? Were these just the last ramblings of a man who'd gone mad down in the darkness, or was there something _to_ his words?

She closed her eyes briefly, then yelped as something hit her sub with enough force to make it shake. Without thinking much about it, she fled the area, heading back towards Jellybase.

That was enough exploring for one day.

* * *

Survivor's log, Anna Torres

The only way we've kept track of time down here is thanks to the programmed clock and the data pads. _I've_ certainly lost track of how long we've lived on this planet, let alone been infected by this disease.

Part of me thinks I shouldn't have deleted that audio file, but I know Trevor would never let me go out alone if he heard it. He's not acting as aggressive as he was before we started the treatments, but he's still being something of a hovering, over-protective mess, which is both endearing and annoying.

I keep thinking about it though. I feel bad for Scott, but I don't think Dr. Montblanc would have taken Mr. Tepes and run if she thought there was a chance to help them all. So it must have been Scott who did all the internal damage to the base... which would explain how he died, for certain.

Ugh. Every time I lay down and try to sleep, I hear him speaking.

I know I'm doing myself no favors by halving my doses and spreading them out, but Trevor and Sypha get into the water much more than I do, and it's more beneficial to them if I give them as much as I can before we have to get the harder materials.

I asked Trevor for enough titanium to make a three level addition; while we can't breed the glittering Peepers, I've found rabbit ray eggs before, and I know Sypha has some brain coral seeds. If we make a tall alien containment aquarium, we can grow some creepvines, and other plants for the fish to eat, and then we can use any extra fish as food, or for the bioreactor. He thinks I'm going a little overboard, but he's agreed to it, and Sypha thinks it'll be a good chance to study more of the fish.

I'm so tired... but I can't sleep just yet. There's still a lot of things I have left to do first.


	12. Eleven

Eleven

That damned thing was _out there_ again...

Anna peered out around the edges of Bait's glass with a small scowl; she'd caught sight of the derelict sub again, despite being nowhere near its original location. It seemed like every time she went out alone these days—which was at least one per day, for several hours—she caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of her eye.

Sometimes it stayed, tucked into a corner of heavy rock, or at the bottom of a fissure she'd just passed. Most of the time it vanished. And _every_ time, it left that audio file on her data pad again. She deleted it quickly enough, but it just wouldn't _stay_ gone.

_"Oh,_ for an old priest," she muttered under her breath. "One who knows how to exorcise evil. That would be nice."

She wasn't entirely sure the derelict _was_ evil, but damned if it wasn't adding one more layer of stress onto an already frustrating search.

She needed to know more about the infection, but the quarantine platform didn't, couldn't, or _wouldn't_ give her anything more than it already had, and trying to find the research center tended to get her lost. Which was, of course, how that damn derelict seamoth and its ghostly passenger kept _finding_ her.

She'd been searching for something completely innocuous this time too! The scanner room had shown a large mass of titanium in the area, but she hadn't found it despite being out for at least two hours, if not more. If Bait ran out of energy out here, she'd never live it down...

She turned the sub carefully, cautiously; sweeping the lights over the sea floor, and nearly jumped a foot at the sight before her. After a moment she leaned forward in her seat, then carefully pushed Bait towards it.

She had to go along the length of it twice before she was sure she was seeing what she thought, and she leaned back in her seat, stunned, all thoughts of the derelict seamoth pushed away in this new discovery.

* * *

"You found a _what?!_"

"I found a Cyclops. The exterior's rusted, and it's got some wildlife growing on it, but I couldn't spot any holes in the hull, or cracks in the glass. I think it just ran out of power."

Trevor sat back in his chair, tipping his head back to stare at the ceiling as she gave him the vaccine dose that would keep him steady for the rest of the week.

"Could you get into it?"

"I didn't try," she admitted. "It was creepy out there."

"You want someone to go with you," and he tipped his head, raising an eyebrow at her with a small grin.

"I'd like it if _both_ of you came with me," she huffed at him, pulling the syringe back and putting it on the tray. "We can't fix a cyclops the way we could fix this base, with reinforced plating and luck, but if there's a chance, shouldn't we try?"

It had been arguably _more_ resource heavy to fix this base instead of making their own, but the payoff had been well worth the effort. So after a moment, Trevor nodded.

"We'll all go out tomorrow then," he said, patting her head lightly. "If nothing else, maybe we can salvage the parts we need to make our own."

She grinned.

"Make ourselves a Fankensub?"

Trevor groaned, and gave her a light shove.

* * *

"How's it going?"

"_I've _almost_ cut through this mess on the hatch,_" Trevor replied. "_Laser cutter's going to need a new battery after this, though._"

"_It could be worse_," Sypha said, amusement in her tone. "_We could have had to use thermoblades._"

"_Ugh, don't even joke about that, we'd be here for weeks!_"

Anna giggled, carefully shifting position so that Bait's lights were shining at Trevor without blinding him.

"We may have to use thermoblades anyways, to get the plants off the hull," she pointed out. "Hopefully they're not covering any gaping holes..."

"_Okay, this was your idea, don't jinx us_," Trevor complained as he turned off the cutter.

One half of the hatch fell away with a small amount of prying, and he turned to kick the other side open.

"_Huh. Looks like the seal held. Not even rusted._" There was a pause as he pushed up into the sub with a small grunt. "_...I'll be damned._"

"What?" "_What?_"

"_Hang on, let me actually look around first..._"

"_Fine, fine, but make it quick_," Sypha ordered. "_I want to see it too!_"

Anna half-smiled as Sashimi bobbed a little in her friend's clear excitement.

"_...well, there's a few leaks, but considering it's been down here for ten years, that's not surprising,_" Trevor said after a couple minutes. "_The power cells are all dead, but the engine looks like its in one piece... There's a few storage lockers on the walls here too, look like personal things. Nooo... body or bodies, though. They other two must've died somewhere outside the sub._"

"_So it's all clear?_" Sypha asked.

"_Yup. Come on in, and bring the power cells~_"

* * *

The Cyclops was _much_ easier to repair than the base had been. Once the drained power cells had been swapped out for new ones, the thing powered up almost like it had never been offline. It took a bit of careful finagling to get it, _and_ all three subs back to the base since the docking hatch was also rusted shut, but with a little work, they managed it.

"What is this thing anyways?" Trevor asked, pointing. "It looks like a damn coffin."

"It's a hyperbaric chamber," Anna replied as she checked the connectors. "Think of it like a big oxygen tank that people can lay in. It's supposed to help with healing. Maybe Dr. Montblanc put Mr. Tepes in here to move him more safely."

"Any more clues as to _why_ she moved him so abruptly?"

Anna shook her head.

"Too busy to work on it," she replied. "Hunting the glitter-Peepers, and trying to find the way down to the alien research facility don't exactly leave a lot of time for tinkering."

"Hm. True. Still no luck there?"

She shook her head a little, and sighed.

"I have an idea, though you might not like it," she said after a moment, straightening.

"Oh?"

Anna ran a hand over her hair, sweeping some of it out of her eyes before facing her cousin.

"It'd mean I'd be gone for a couple of days. But. I think if I use the enforcement island as a starting point, I might have better luck."

Trevor raised an eyebrow, leaning against the wall.

"All right, I'm listening."

"According to what we got from the platform that first time, the research center is at around eight hundred feet in a southeasterly direction from the platform itself. I've been trying to stay low and go northwest from where our base is, but either I get lost in the caves and turned around, or something tries to take a bite out of Bait. While it's found us some interesting thing," and she lightly patted the softly humming Cyclops engine, "it's not found me what I've hoped for. So I think if I take some supplies, and start from there, I might have better luck."

"Alone, though?" He gave her a concerned look. "Anna, I know you want to find us a cure, but I think maybe you're working a bit too hard..."

"We're in a holding pattern right now," she pointed out. "And it can't hold forever. With more information on the infection, maybe there's a way to beat it back even more, something Dr. Montblanc couldn't find because she had to take care of Mr. Tepes."

Trevor sighed, and ran a hand through his hair.

"I... just don't like the idea," he admitted. "You going off alone around the base is one thing, but what if something happens to you out there?"

She smiled fondly.

"It's not like I'm going to be out of contact, Trevor. Bait's radio works just fine, and I'll take a few beacons with me to mark where I've been, and if I've found anything I might want to come back to eventually. I don't plan to be gone that long."

"See, the fact that you're planning to go at all is what bothers me," he said with a frown. "You're the medic, you shouldn't be going out on your own."

"Trevor..." Anna sighed, absently hugging herself. "I _need_ to. If a disease research area exists, it's the only place I can get answers. And I'm fine on my own; haven't I been coming back in one piece for weeks now?"

He moved fast enough to make her jump, but when all he did was hug her, she relaxed, and let her head rest on his chest.

"Sorry," he muttered. "I'm just... there's only the three of us. You know? I don't want it to become the two of us. We _need_ you, Anna."

"Trevor, it'll only be a couple of days," she said soothingly. "And I'll stay in contact the whole time, I promise. I'm not _you_, after all, who couldn't figure out how to activate the radio in the facemask."

He huffed a little, then chuckled ruefully.

"In my defense, I wasn't exactly trained to work in a wetsuit," he said dryly, pulling back enough to look down at her.

"Well, neither were we, and we figured it out," she smiled wryly up at him. "Don't worry so much. Worrying is my job, remember?"

Trevor scoffed a little, then ran a hand through his hair.

"All right. If you think you can find something, I trust you to find it. Just... be careful. More careful than you usually are."

"Given the current events, I promise I won't be anything else."

* * *

Finding a way down proved to be a frustrating, thankless task, even if it did net her several supplies she never would have found otherwise.

"_It's what?_"

"According to the scanner, it's called blood oil," she replied, moving Bait carefully around an outcropping. "One of the things I've been trying to hunt down."

"_Why?_" Trevor asked, befuddled.

"Because we can use it to make benzene. If we make benzene, we can combined it with the mesh and make the actual reinforced wetsuits to help with the deeper pressure, not the things we cobbled together from the diamonds and mesh," she explained. "And we can make the energy module for Squishy-"

"_It _has_ a name, Anna_."

"I know, I named it Squishy."

"_No, I mean we finally got most of the starfish off, and it had a name already._"

She cocked her head a little, more interested in the strange plants before her than the conversation.

"And this precludes me calling is Squishy?"

"_It's called the Nautilus_," Sypha put in, amused.

"Oh. Okay. Fine, the _Nautilus_ needs its mods fixed up, given that they're ten years outdated," she continued. "Hang on. New plant."

"_While I can't really argue with that, is it a good idea to put new mods into old machines?_" Sypha asked as Anna slid out of Bait and swam carefully towards the bioluminescent plant.

"_Well, unless you have a better idea?_" Trevor retorted.

"_We could have made our own instead of fixing up the old one._"

"_In this case, fixing the Nautilus was less materials-costing._"

"I hear that complaint, Trevor," Anna huffed as the scanner chirped at her. "Fixing up Jellybase was worth the effort and you know it."

"_I'm not saying it wasn't, I'm just saying it took a lot of materials that we could have used for other things,_" he retorted.

She made a skeptical noise at him as she returned to Bait, and picked up her data pad again, flicking through the files. It took her a few minutes to find it, mostly because it wasn't marked as a _new_ file, which made her frown a little.

"...that's odd," she murmured, more to herself than her friends. "Did I have this already and just not notice?"

"_Anna?_"

"Nothing, never mind. I must just be a bit more tired than I thought. I think the cavern opens up not far from where I am, so I'm going a little... deeper..."

The cavern opened up all right. On the sea floor lay the _largest_ skeleton Anna had ever seen for one of the indigenous creatures, and it was lit from all angles by more alien lights.

"Madre de Dios," she breathed. "It's... _amazing._"

"_What? What's amazing?_" Trevor demanded.

"There's a _huge_ skeleton just sitting in the middle of the cave! I've never seen anything like it! Sypha, you have _got_ to see this!"

"_Drop a beacon, and we can all visit it again_," she suggested. "_Can you get a scan of it?_"

"I'm working on that right-yeep!"

Anna dove as something charged her seamoth, ducking into the skeleton with a scrape.

"_Anna?!_"

"I'm fine, I'm fine. It missed me, whatever it was..."

"W_hatever it was?!_"

"_Trevor, calm down,_" Sypha ordered. "_You're okay, Anna?_"

"Yeah. Bait fit into the skeleton, I don't think whatever's out there can have the same claim. I'm fine Trevor, it just made me jump."

"_Did you get a good look at it?_" Sypha asked.

"Not really. Some kind of octopus or squid, I think. Hang on a second..."

The radio went quiet, and Anna listened carefully.

"...It seems to use some form of echolocation," she said after a couple of minutes. "I can hear the clicking noises. Making a guess, I'd say it saw Bait's lights and got upset. I'm going to turn them off; there's plenty of other lighting down here I can use."

She toggled the switch, and the skeleton interior dimmed, but not enough to be impossible to see.

"_I told you we should have made that shocking forcefield_," Trevor groused a little.

"Yes yes," Anna replied, cautiously exiting the small submersible. "I'm getting a scan of the skeleton for you, Sypha, and I'll try to get a picture too. It's pretty, in a scary sort of way."

"_Okay, but don't be too hasty,_" she said, concern echoing in her voice. "_We want you to come back, after all._"

Anna smiled.

"It'll be all right. Really."

She didn't actually believe it, but as long as she was _quick_, there was a high chance of being missed by the squid thing.

The radio silence was more comforting than chatter would have been, so she maintained it while scanning and then carefully ducked out the holes of the skeleton, moving to swim over it to get a good shot.

After the third picture she looked around for the squid, and saw it on the far side of the room. She peered closer and swore quietly.

"_What, are you hurt?_"

"...your faith in my ability to be careful is _astounding_, Trevor, no I'm not hurt," she said, annoyed despite herself. "There's something embedded in the wall... I think it's another alien archway. Or maybe a doorway. I'm too far away to make it out clearly."

"_Anna_..."

"It might be the research facility, Trevor. Or part of it. I have to see."

She ignored his protests, diving down towards the floor to avoid the squid; it seemed to like the cavern's ceiling, and she had no intention of trying to face it down without her seamoth. As it moved off, she pulled herself up over the lip of the path and hissed out a frustrated curse.

"_That doesn't sound good_," Trevor said dryly.

"It's closed," she replied, annoyed with the situation more than him. "Locked, like the enforcement platform was. I... there it is."

She swam over to the control panel, which popped open at her touch, revealing a symbol she hadn't seen before.

"...we don't have the key for this one," she said in disappointment. "It's orange, looks like... sort of like, I suppose, a fancy N."

They had found other purple tablets, scattered about the seawater caves of the enforcement platform's island, but nothing that looked quite like this.

"_Maybe it's not the research station then?_" Sypha offered.

"Maybe... but there's _something_ in there," Anna replied, pressing herself up against the barrier. It crackled threateningly at her, but didn't actually sting. "Lights... some of the amoebas... Possibly a data terminal there at the back, it's hard to see through the barrier."

"_That's probably the point,_" Trevor said.

"Probably," she sighed in agreement. "I'm going to drop a beacon here in case we ever find an orange tablet; even if it's not immediately useful, it might be fun to come back to on a day off."

There was muffled snickering from the other end of the line, and she smiled a little; making them laugh had been the point, after all.

After retrieving the beacon from Bait, she stuck it on the side of the forcefield control panel, just to make sure she could find it again. She peered through the forcefield one more time, but no further details were forthcoming, so she swam back to Bait and climbed in with a tired sigh.

"I think I'm safe enough where I am for the moment, so I'm going to power down most of the systems and get a nap," she admitted. "I'm tired..."

"_Okay. You rest up. One of us will be here when you're ready to keep going_," Sypha promised.

"I know you will. Make sure you rest too, though."

"_Fusspot_," Trevor teased.

"Medic," Anna retorted.

"_Get some sleep, Anna_," Sypha broke in with a soft chuckle. "_We will too. Promise_."

* * *

"...this... this makes no sense," she muttered, scanning through the files on her data pad. "Where did this come from?"

"_Anna, are you talking to yourself or us?_" came the drowsy response from Sypha.

"Myself, but... is Trevor up?"

"_Not yet, but I can get him if you need him. Why?_"

"...nnnn... I _think_ there's an active base down here."

"..._What...?_"

"My data pad is syncing up to someone else's Alterra-brand computer, and pulling new files."

"_I'm getting Trevor. You stay put._"

Anna made a sound of agreement, and continued scrolling through the new files, become more and more puzzled. Some of the files were meticulous notes, familiar one; Dr. Montblanc had a research style that she had become familiar with over the past few weeks. Others had a different voice, a different way of reference. There were also some drawings of the oceanic life, from extremely bad to realistic enough she was willing to swear that it might simply swim up off the pad.

Curiosity got the better of her and she opened one of the log files.

_I don't know how long I've been down here alone at this point. Everything has started to blur together again, not because of the disease, but just because it's all the same..._

Quickly she closed the file; it was one thing to read logs meant to be added to an official report, it was quite another to read someone's personal thoughts, alive or dead.

And if the base was active...

"_Okay, what's going on?_" Trevor asked, sounding at best only half-awake. "_Sypha said something about a sink and a fish..._"

"_A _data-sync_ and a _base_, Trevor,_" Sypha put in, annoyed. "_Not a bass and a kitchen sink._"

Anna stifled a giggle; Trevor sometimes woke up without much effort... other days he needed about five cups of coffee from the maker.

"_Okay. Fine, whatev... what?_"

"Well, now you're awake," Anna said, unable to hide her amusement. "Yes. My data pad is syncing up to someone's files, updating in realtime. There's at least _one_ active Alterra computer around here. Which means there has to be a base, and it has to have power."

"_Anna, don't you dare-_"

"I'm going, Trevor," she interrupted. "And you can't stop me."

* * *

She left the lights off, but the radio on; Trevor had subsided into a sulky silence after failing to argue her around, which was better than him demanding she head back to the base and theoretical safety. She didn't actually need Bait's lights to see by anyways, the electric-blue glow of the local flora were more than enough to light her way.

This was a cave system she hadn't found before, and so she took the turns slow, occasionally using the sonar ping to map out the area around her, and the creatures in it. She'd left the threatening squid behind, and most of the fish were either the small ones she was used to, or some strange species of ray that she couldn't scan at the moment.

The base she found was active, all right. Light shone from the windows, illuminating a cluster of habitat towers, observatories, and a moon pool. She scudded around it cautiously, not wanting to get too close in case there was some sort of potential danger, and saw movement on one of the lower levels, though she couldn't quite make out a form. Dr. Montblanc, or Mr. Tepes?

"_Anna, have you found anything?_" Sypha asked cautiously.

"You two are never going to believe this..."

* * *

Survivor's log, Anna Torres

Trevor was annoyed enough to pout for a bit when I finally made it back to base, but once he saw all the pictures I took, he thawed again. They both want to go to the base at the next opportunity, and I'm definitely not opposed. It'll be maybe a bit less unnerving

I'm going to keep trying to find the research facility too, of course... but getting to Dr. Montblanc and Mr. Tepes definitely takes precedent.

We've made some growbeds to put in the Nautilus, and planted the potatoes and marblemelons, and I've made up some more doses of the vaccine to take with us if we end up staying a few days longer than we mean to. This first visit will be more of a... introduction. We don't want to intrude, especially since it's a facility built for two, not for five.

The base looked... strange. I know the purpose of every room of ours, because I built it with a specific plan in mind. Mostly. So maybe it's just because it's an unfamiliar base. I wonder what all the rooms are for, though. I could see into a few, but I didn't want to get too close just yet.

Sypha's the most personable out of all of us... she'll make sure the introductions aren't awkward.

I wonder if they'd found the base?


	13. Twelve

Twelve

"Fuck_, where did it come from?!_" Trevor demanded, trying to push the nose of the Nautilus down to avoid taking another hit from the unexpected ghostly leviathan in their path. "_I thought you said the route was clear!_"

"It _was_ clear!" Anna snapped back, darting Bait around to the side to avoid the lashing tail. "I _don't know_ where it came from, it was just suddenly _here!_"

She had thought for a moment that she might have seen that sub again, but now it was nowhere to be seen. Instead, this thing had come _screaming_ out of nowhere and launched itself right at the Nautilus. Though they had patched and replace most of the hull, that didn't seem to matter much any more; is had opened a long gash in the submarine's outer skin, and she could see sparking coming from the wires underneath.

She licked her lips and griped the control panel briefly. If she actually stopped to think about this, she would freeze, so she couldn't stop to think.

"_There's fire in the engine room!_" Sypha announced, though her voice was softer being farther away from the mic. "_If we take another hit like that, we're also going to be taking on water!_"

"_Damnit... Can you put it out?_"

"_Yes, but it won't _stay_ out if we don't get out of here!_"

The leviathan-class creature turned, and let loose with another shriek.

"Keep going," Anna said, feeling strangely calm. "You're not that far from the way into the cave, and the base will be easy to find."

"_...Anna, what are you doing?_"

"Something really really stupid. I'll catch up to you!"

She turned off the radio, not wanting to hear the protests, and shoved the control sticks of the seamoth forward. This was probably going to _hurt_, but if it made the creature back off, then it would be absolutely worth it.

She crashed into the creature's face, narrowly missing its mouth, and unloaded the charge from her energy shield into its skull. It jerked up and back, hitting the tunnel's ceiling hard enough to shatter rock and cause a small collapse; Anna managed to duck out from the worst of it, though Bait's glass cracked ominously in a spiderweb pattern.

She backed away from the leviathan, trying to see through the rocks and clouds, half-braced for it to come charging straight on through and crunch her and Bait both in its mouth.

The water cleared.

The creature was nowhere to be seen.

Anna let out a tired, relieved sigh, and turned her radio back on.

"So, uh... how much trouble am I in for that?"

* * *

"_It looks pretty bad,_" Sypha said after a minute. "_We made it in here, but we're going to need some help to make it back out._"

"Can you repair any of it?" Trevor asked.

"_I can repair some of it, but I think we're going to need a whole new plate of plasteel for this middle section. How are things in there?_"

"The fires are out," Anna said from where she stood in the doorway. "The engine reads as okay, just a little... scorched. If we don't push it, it should be fine."

Trevor was ignoring her; he was upset about the stunt. Sypha, on the other hand made a sound of acknowledgment.

"_Have you tried hailing the base yet?_" she asked as she swam over the front of the sub, pointing to the lit towers that were only a few hundred meters away.

"Not yet. I wanted the damage report first. Come back inside, and I'll do that."

She nodded, and swam down, disappearing from view. Below, Anna heard the hatch open up and a telltale splash as Sypha re-entered the Nautilus, and there was a faint hiss of static as Trevor tuned the radio to a broader frequency.

"Hailing Alterra base, this is the Nautilus, can you hear us, over?"

Sypha climbed up the ladder, then perched on the edge of the opening, smiling ruefully at Anna, who only shrugged lightly. She would rather Trevor be upset and alive than injured or dead.

"How's Bait?" Sypha murmured as Trevor repeated his hail.

"Mad. I'll probably have to find a mess of quartz to repair the glass, and some titanium for the hull breeches. The power cells could use a recharge now too, though I don't think the attache moon pool is big enough for two subs."

"I can always take Sashimi out and we can let Bait recharge in here," Sypha offered.

Anna shook her head a little.

"No, better we keep Sashimi as a backup, since it's not been damaged yet. That way if someone needs to get back to Jellybase quick, they can."

"_Hailing_ Alterra base, this is the Nautilus, can you _hear_ us, over?"

Sypha sighed a little.

"Trevor, if they'd heard us, they probably would have responded the first time," she said a little tartly.

"They might not even be in," Anna volunteered, getting to her feet. "Bait's not so low that I can scoot closer to check..."

Trevor scowled at her, opened his mouth to say something, and was stopped by Sypha's elbow being firmly planted in his side. He glared down at his girlfriend instead, and Anna slipped down the ladder before a protest could be raised.

"Why'd you stop me?" she heard as she reached the bottom.

"Because Anna _saved our lives_, Trevor. It was a risk, but she did it for us. You should _thank_ her, not yell at her," Sypha shot back. "Stop acting like the punctured your pride; she was the only one in a position to do something, and she did it."

Anna half-smiled as she slipped her breathing mask on, grateful that Sypha, at least, seemed to understand, and slipped out of the hatch back into the sea.

* * *

"_Do you see anyone?_" Sypha asked.

"Nnnot... at the top levels," Anna replied after a minute of careful circling. "But there's a seamoth in the moon pool, so I think _someone_ is here."

"_We could just go in through the hatch,_" Trevor said, still a bit surly. "_Or the moon pool_."

"That's rude, Trevor. We should ask first. We don't want to-wait! I see someone!"

She pulled herself out of Bait and swam hurriedly up to the window through which she'd spotted someone moving.

He looked tall, maybe about Trevor's height, and the hair in the base's lights was fair, that sort of wheat blonde that most achieved only through dye, while some cheated and had a genetic rewrite. But if the fairness of his complexion was any sort of clue, this was natural.

He was also the _prettiest_ man she'd ever seen, and for a moment she couldn't help but stare. Then she gave herself a hard mental shake, and reached out to carefully knock on the glass.

No reaction.

She frowned slightly, and knocked again, a little harder this time. That got his attention, and he looked up from what he'd been studying, eyebrows raising a bit as he saw her. Anna flushed a little, suddenly grateful for the somewhat distorted facemask that kept her from being fully visible, then held up her data pad. He leaned forward with a bemused look, then nodded almost... politely? Before getting up and walking off.

Something about it struck her as odd. She was willing to swear that she'd seen something in those golden eyes that was almost...

She waited there for a few minutes before he came back, and tapped something out on his own pad, holding it up for her to see.

She'd asked him to turn on his radio.

_The radio appears to be broken._ Was the reply.

It made sense, sort of. With only the two of them down there, and only a small seamoth, why would they need a radio? Anna chewed her lip, and typed out another short message, holding it up so that he could see it.

_May we come in?_

The eyebrows went up again, but after a moment, the man pointed to the hatch on the lowest level, and nodded. Anna bowed a little—the only way she could thank him from the water—then turned and started back to her sub.

"I found Mr. Tepes. His radio's down, but he said we could come in using the lower hatch. I think I see a space where you could park the Nautilus, Trevor, and then we can say hello!"

* * *

The bottom level of the base held the air of long disuse, but that wasn't too surprising; the moon pool connected, and that would have been an easier way in and out, one that avoided the water and its relentless storm of pathogens.

Trevor took the lead once they were inside, and Anna let him, still chewing on the question of why something had seemed... _wrong_ with the man she'd seen through the window. The look of something akin to weary resignation, before the politeness had fallen over his face like a mask...

"Well, he's not on this level," Trevor said after a minute.

"I guess we're going up then," Sypha said, pointing to the ladder.

The second and third levels held a similar air of disuse; dust coated cabinets and lockers, absorbed their damp footfalls, and any noise they might have made.

"...you're _sure_ you saw someone?" Trevor asked finally, peering over his shoulder at Anna.

"I saw him," she said firmly, though unease was worming around in her stomach. "He was... acting a bit strange, but he said we could come in..."

"Strange how?" Sypha asked as Trevor started up the ladder.

"I'm... not sure," Anna said after a moment, frowning a little. "But there was something odd about his reactions."

"Hmmm..."

Sypha climbed up the ladder after Trevor, and Anna brought up the rear, still puzzling.

The fourth level, finally, looked live in. One hallway connected to the moon pool, while the other connected to the second tower of the habitat. In the middle of the room was a small alien containment aquarium, within which swam a handful of Peepers and a strange, squashed little creature that looked like a mix between an octopus and a manatee. It swam up to the glass and used its tentacles to plaster itself to the side for a better look.

"It's _adorable_," Sypha said pressing a hand to the glass. "What is it?"

"I don't know," Anna said, smiling shyly at the little creature which headbutted the glass. "But it really is cute. I wonder where they found it?"

"It's called a cuddlefish."

They all jumped, and Trevor spun with thermoblade in hand to stare at the slender man who stood in the doorway between the room they were in and the next one. He had a puzzled look on his face, and a mug in his hand that steamed gently.

"I've had hallucinations before, but never as many as three," he said after a minute, his cultured voice somewhat hoarse... as though he didn't use it very often. "I don't... recognize any of you..."

Sypha looked at Anna, eyes wide. Anna stared back, mouth dry. This was bad.

"...we're not hallucinations," Trevor said slowly, putting the thermoblade back on his belt. "I'm Trevor. This is Sypha, and that's Anna."

"Not hallucinations," a small, disbelieving smile appeared on Adrian's face, then vanished as he sipped whatever was in the mug. "Of course not."

Anna bit her lip uncertainly, and Sypha moved forward, away from the containment tank, offering him her hand.

"We're not hallucinations," she said firmly. "Do you prefer to be called Adrian, or Mr. Tepes?"

He blinked, and stared at her hand for a long moment.

"It's... been some time since I've heard either," he said finally, though he only stared at her hand, didn't take it. "At least, from an unfamiliar voice. I suppose... Adrian will be fine."

"Adrian then," And though she couldn't see it, Anna could hear the smile in Sypha's voice. "It's nice to meet you. We didn't expect to find any other survivors, especially not ones from a crash that's a decade old."

His eyes flicked from Sypha to her, and Anna found herself pinned by the gaze. She looked away first, turning back to the alien containment and the cuddlefish that was still lightly batting its head against the glass as though asking for attention.

"...what brings you here?" he finally asked.

"We made friends with an asshole leviathan-class creature out there, and needed a place to stop so we could start effecting some repairs," Trevor replied, his tone cautious now. "I don't suppose you have any plasteel and titanium lying around?"

"I might," Adrian said after a moment. "It'd be down in the lower levels. One of the lockers. I didn't have much use for it after... Well. You're welcome to it."

"Thank you. That'll make things a lot faster," Sypha said warmly.

She could see him faintly reflected in the glass; he wasn't looking at either Sypha or Trevor, he seemed to be staring at her. Or maybe the cuddlefish, who was dancing around in front of her now, occasionally butting itself up against the glass.

"You may stay here, if you'd like," Adrian continued. "Until you've fixed your..."

"Cyclops," Trevor supplied. "Cyclops and seamoth."

"Are you sure?" Sypha asked. "We wouldn't want to intrude, especially if you don't have the supplies for three extra people. _Especially_ one who can be a black hole for food," and Anna saw her nudge Trevor lightly in the side. Trevor responded by huffing at her, though he half-smiled as he did so.

There was a weighted silence that finally made Anna look over again, and see puzzled confusion on Adrian's face.

"Hallucinations that eat..." He sounded so confused that it made her heart hurt. "That could... cause problems."

"We're not-" Trevor stopped and glanced back as Anna touched his back, shaking her head slightly. He sighed and rubbed his face briefly. "Look, we have our own supplies on the Nautilus, you don't need to feed us. Just... proper beds would be good."

"The... Nautilus..."

Adrian stared at them all for another long moment, then looked away.

"There's a double bed upstairs you can use if you need," he said slowly, pausing briefly to take a longer drink from his mug. "In fact, I would recommend it; you look... tired."

Trevor looked over his shoulder at Anna, who shrugged helplessly. Something Trevor had said had hit a nerve, but she didn't know what; this whole meeting was nothing like what she'd expected, and there was still no sign of...

Oh.

"...Mr. Tepes?"

He startled a little, and looked at her.

"How long have you been alone down here?"

The silence was complete and deafening.

* * *

"Shit," Trevor muttered as he went through one of the dusty cupboard. "I thought we'd find two people down here, not one who's gone just slightly crazy."

"You're not alone there," Anna replied, hugging herself uncertainly. "I'm not _trained_ for something like this. I was supposed to be a _medical_ doctor, not a psychiatrist!"

Sypha blew some dust off one of the cabinets before opening the door, then sneezed.

"We can't leave him here like this, though," she said, rubbing her nose. "I don't care what Alterra thinks they want, leaving him here to die alone... It's just not right."

"There's going to be a lot of trouble getting him off-world," Anna murmured with a small frown. "Putting aside the fact that we have to take care of the infection first, he's been down here, at almost five hundred meters worth of pressure, for a decade. In the dark, with only the habitat lights and the bioluminescent plants. I don't even know if the surgeonbots could do anything, and that's setting aside the fact that we don't know how the infection has altered him."

"Are you saying we're leaving him behind too?" Sypha asked, staring in disbelief.

"No... maybe... I don't know!" Anna said tossing her hands up in frustration. "For all we know, he's perfectly content to stay down here, and after living on this planet for a decade, even with it slowly killing him, would he _want_ to leave? Would he _be able_ to leave, Sypha? _That's_ the question!"

Trevor had stopped searching and was staring at her with enough surprise that Anna realized her voice has raised. Flushing, she looked away.

"I'm sorry... I just don't know what to do. I look at him, and... I don't know, something about him makes my heart hurt. He's not broken, but he's so badly hurt, so lonely..."

"It doesn't hep that he seems to think we're figments of his imagination," Trevor said. "Unless we change that, I don't think anything we say or do would convince him to go very far from this place."

"So, somehow we have to change his view on what we are," Sypha said slowly, pulling over a stool to sit on. "Trevor, how long do you think we can stretch out repairs for?"

"Who said anything about _stretching_?" He grumbled, dusting his hands off and moving to search through another locker. "We're going to need at least three days. You," and he glanced at Anna, "may have to take Sashimi to keep looking for that research base you want."

Anna blinked at him, startled.

"You're not going to tell me I shouldn't go off on my own?"

"Well you _shouldn't_," he groused. "But short of tying you down, I can't exactly stop you. You've proven that."

She flushed, looking down at the dusty floor and scuffed a foot on the smooth metal.

"But you're still right about needing more information on the infection," and he sighed a little. "Maybe ask Tepes if he's found it, so you're not haring around in the dark out there."

Anna made a slight face; she wasn't sure she wanted to talk to him, not with the way he'd been looking, and especially not after she'd asked him the question that had caused him to leave, but...

"You're probably right."

She pushed off the wall with a small sigh, turning towards the ladder.

"Anna."

She paused, and half-turned back as Trevor dusted off his hands.

"Will you actually be careful this time?"

"I'll do my best, Trevor."

* * *

There were a surprising number of actual doors in this base, and some of them were locked quite tightly. She wasn't interested in prying or exploring... but to be fair, she wasn't exactly eager to meet Adrian Tepes a second time. In the end, she found herself back in the room with the alien containment tank, and smiled a little at the cuddlefish came up to say hello again.

"Now where on earth did he find you, little one?" she asked, lightly touching the glass with a fingertip. "We've never run across you out in the wild..."

The cuddlefish made a small, chirruping sound and flitted away, to circle around the hatch that was on the upper level. Almost as if it was inviting her in to play. Then it swam back and gently bomped its head against the glass.

She smiled, and touched her own forehead lightly to the exterior glass in response.

"I wish I could little one, but I wouldn't want to bring the infection to you. It must be an impressive filtration system, I don't see... any signs on any of the fish..."

"It takes a few weeks for the symptoms to show up in most of them," came that quiet, cultured voice from behind her.

Anna yipped, jumped a foot, and spun around; Adrian stepped back, seeming surprised by her surprise.

"Madre de Dios, don't you make _noise?!_" she demanded, to startled to be polite.

There was a slight quirk to his mouth that she suspected might have actually been laughter if he'd thought she was an actual person.

"My apologies. You... Are Anna, correct?"

She nodded, lightly pressing a hand to her chest to try and will her heart to stop jumping around quite so much.

"Yes. Anna Torres."

"You've made a study of the infection then?" he asked, leaning against the doorway.

"Well, yes. I had to. The notes you and Dr. Montblanc made helped me out more than a little..." She looked away briefly. "And so did the vaccine. Things would have gotten a lot worse if I hadn't found that file."

The cuddlefish tapped the glass, waving at Adrian, then tapped it again to make Anna look up. She half-smiled as it spun around, doing elaborate loops as if trying to impress her. After a moment, she regathered her courage and looked at Adrian again. He had an odd expression on his face, looking from her, to the cuddlefish, then back.

"Mr. Tepes..." She hesitated, then took a breath as he focused on her. "I know you probably won't believe me for a while, but we are real. We're flesh and blood, with beating hearts, working lungs, and an infection that we can't cure, _I_ can't cure, without your help. Please-"

She moved away from the tank, and the world wobbled. Her knees buckled, and she staggered, reaching out to catch herself on the wall... and instead ended up braced against a warm chest. She looked up in surprise; if his expression was anything to go on, he seemed just as startled, and they sat on the floor together for a long moment.

"...are you all right?" he finally asked.

"I... I think so," she replied, looking down in embarrassment. "Sorry it's... it's been more of a day than we expected it would be. I guess it all just hit me."

"Yes, I... see."

His grip shifted slowly, helping her to sit up, but he seemed almost... reluctant to let go. She considering pushing away, but honestly, the world was still moving a bit, and if he was okay with holding her steady, she was _mostly_ okay with letting him.

"...when was the last time you had a dose of the vaccine?" he asked.

The question was mild. Polite. Anna went very still.

"...When I gave the other two theirs," she said warily, glancing up at him briefly, then away.

"Did you take the _entire_ dose?"

She pressed her lips together briefly, then tried to pull away.

"I'm fine, Mr. Tepes," she said.

"That's not an answer, Ms. Torres," he replied, tightening his grip just a little. "The doses come as they are for a reason, and if you are giving your companions the full dose, you should also be _taking_ the full dose."

"I'm _fine_," she repeated, pushing against him a little more firmly.

"How much of the dose are you holding back each time, hm? Do you companions even know you're stinting yourself?"

He was starting to scare her now; she pushed harder against his arms, but he didn't seem inclined to let her go, and the look on his face was nothing short of pure disapproval. He stood up so abruptly that she yelped, and while he let her get her feet under her, the arm that supported her was still unyieldingly firm.

"I take enough of the vaccine to make sure I can keep working," she said, pulling against that grip. "They go into the water more than I do, they need it more than I do!"

"You need to take a full dose," he said flatly, and tugged at her arm firmly.

But Anna had had enough. Her free hand flashed up, and the palm of her hand connected hard with his cheek. Startled, he released her and stumbled back as she yanked away, ending up on the floor again. He stared at her for a long minute, then slowly raised a hand to his cheek. Already, it was turning red, and she looked away, immediately ashamed, even as she pushed herself upright.

"...I suppose you must be real," he said finally, quietly. "My hallucinations have done many things, but hitting me is not one of them."

"I'm sorry," she mumbled. "You scared me..."

"No... I think I am the one who should be apologizing, Ms. Torres," and when she glanced up, there was just the slightly quirk of a smile on his mouth. It faded quickly though. "I am serious, however... you should take a full dose, not... deny yourself. It won't make things easier on your companions if the infection takes you..."

She looked away. Then sighed.

"...maybe you're right," she said reluctantly. "I just... I don't know..."

Very carefully, he offered her his hand. Very slowly, she accepted it, and let him help her to her feet again.

"I'm afraid I don't have any of... Lisse's vaccine here," he said, eyes shadowed with regret. "I don't even have the materials to make it."

"It's okay. Really. I'm okay. Today's just been a bit extra on the stress." she pulled her hand back slowly. He was reluctant to let go, but he did after a moment. "...you should probably put some ice or cold water on your cheek... it'll help with the swelling."

"Ice... yes..."

She eyed him cautiously.

"I didn't hit you _that_ hard, did I, Mr. Tepes?"

"I..." after a moment, he shook his head a little, and she was willing to be his reach out was involuntary, though he stopped short of actually touching her when she tensed. "You're _real_..."

She sighed a little, but half-smiled despite herself.

"Come on, Mr. Tepes. Show me your med bay, and we'll get you some ice."

* * *

Survivor's log, Anna Torres

Of all the things I'd hoped for I got... well, honestly none of it. But I don't think I'm as disappointed as maybe I ought to be...

Mr. Tepes held on to an amazing amount of his sanity, despite being left alone for eight or nine years, with an infection that's bafflingly different from what is typically presented. It's a bit weird to be stared at like I'm the answer to all his questions... hopefully Sypha and Trevor will have similar, but less... trying breakthroughs. (I can't believe I smacked him. What is _wrong_ with me?)

Trevor thinks that even with the plasteel and titanium that were in the lower levels, it'll take at least four days to fix the Nautilus, let alone both the Nautilus and Bait. Sypha says I can borrow Sashimi if I want to... and Mr. Tepes also offered me the use of his if I need it... Richter.

It's funny. I hit him, and... and it seems to have given him a snap back to reality. He doesn't seem to mind, but I just... why did I do that? I raised my voice at Sypha, I hit Mr. Tepes... I charged the leviathan not even knowing for sure that I was going to be able to make it back off! If I hadn't had the perimeter defense module, it could have just crunched Bait in its mouth and I wouldn't have been good for anything!

Maybe Mr. Tepes is right and I should take a full dose next time...


	14. Thirteen

Thirteen

There had been too many sea creatures near the damaged alien installation for her to risk getting close to it in the borrowed seamoth, especially given that she'd had to duck that damned leviathan on the way to it. While the bioluminescent ocean life was pretty to watch, so much of it was hostile it wasn't even funny, and while she was quite willing to use Bait as a propulsion charge, she wasn't going to damage Shashimi if it was avoidable.

"So, the good news is that I found the place," she murmured, holding up her data pad to take a few pictures.

"_Okay, when you say it like that I _know_ there's a problem_," Trevor said dryly. "_What is it?_"

"...well, you're not wrong... Give me a second... okay, check you data pad."

"_...Damn. That's... that's a lot of rays._"

"It's not the _rays_ I'm worried about."

The rays, after all, didn't eat people. No, it was the thing that looked like a living spinal cord that was giving her pause.

"_Can you zip in there with Sashimi?_"

"Maybe, but I also don't want to try. I think if I stick to the walls, I can climb my way in and up without getting noticed..."

"_Do you have enough _air_ to make that a good idea, though?_"

She glanced over her shoulder as best she could at her new air tank.

"Mr. Tepes let me use some of the materials on hand to build a better air tank," she replied. "I have about an hour and a half worth."

"_Okay, but is that going to be _enough_?_"

"I don't know, Trevor, we're just going to have to find out," she said a little irritably. "I'm going in."

* * *

"_...I may not speak Spanish any more, but I know some of those words. Why are you saying things about horror movies? You _hate_ horror movies._"

"Yes, that would be why I'm not _enjoying_ this," Anna retorted, eyeing the warper part with trepidation. Even if the damned thing wasn't active, it looked put together enough to _be_ active if she so much as bumped it wrong.

They had maintained a radio silence mostly so that she could conserve her air; even with the rebreather on, and the higher capacity oxygen tank, communication was chancy.

So instead of replying, she just sent him a picture, and listened to him swear.

"_They're _machine?!" Trevor demanded.

"Mmhm..."

It had been a worthwhile trip, horror movie aesthetics aside. She was down one purple tablet, which had been needed to get into a locked room, but otherwise the whole facility had been open to her. Her bag now boasted three ion cubes, and her data pad held more information about the disease, the kharaa, than she'd ever thought they could know.

"I think I've found everything," she said, putting the scanner away. "So I should be back soon."

"_Good,_" Sypha said firmly. "_I can't wait to see what you've found!_"

She wasn't so sure any of them wold be happy with the information, but any knowledge in a battle against something like this was better than no knowledge at all.

She swam back through the facility with care, trying not to look _too_ hard at some of the preserved specimen tanks. While she understood the need to kill everything in a bid to avoid the spread of the disease, whoever the precursor race had been, they had absolutely failed in their attempts.

Getting to the exit, she froze, then whispered several curses very quietly.

"_Anna? You okay?_"

The damn derelict was perched on the nearest piece of high ground, no she was _not_ okay. Her data pad pinged, but she ignored it, instead watching the actions of the sealife. The smaller fish avoided the derelict, giving it a wide berth; the river prowlers seemed to be clustering around it. And there were more of them than she had seen on her way in.

What's worse, they and the derelict were between her and Sashimi.

"_Anna?_"

Sypha this time.

"I'm fine. Just... a logistical problem."

"_That doesn't sound good. Can you tell us what's happening?_"

She grimaced a little, and scooted a bit away from the entrance as the prowlers all seemed to break up at once, putting themselves in a cluster between her and the derelict. Carefully she raised the data pad and took a picture, then sent it off, hoping she'd managed to avoid showing them the derelict seamoth. She'd been doing her level best to keep that secret, and she didn't want to break that silence now.

"_...Tepes is heading towards his seamoth,_" Trevor reported, sounding amused.

"What?! No!" she yelped. Then, as a few of the prowlers seemed to react to that, she lowered her voice to a frustrated hiss. "I sent you that so you'd know why I was going to take a bit longer, _not_ so someone could risk themselves trying to reach me! Tell him I'm fine!"

"_Iiiiii_ _don't think he's interested in listening to_ us," Sypha said slowly. "_He still seems to think we're just his imagination half the time._"

Anna swore silently, fervently, then yipped at the sudden appearance of half a dozen warpers.

"_What, what?!_"

"Nothing! I'm fine! Fish scared me."

The warpers seemed to have no interest in the clustered prowlers; they made a straight line for the derelict, circling around it with a speed she hadn't thought they were capable of, and jabbing at it repeatedly with their appendages.

"_Ms. Torres._"

"Mr. Tepes, I'm _fine_," she said immediately. "I don't need a rescue, I just need more time to make it back to Sashimi."

"_You don't _have_ more time, Ms. Torres,_" he said calmly. "_You've been there for over an hour. You must be low on oxygen by now._"

Well, he was right, but saying as much didn't make her any more pleased with the idea that he was going to put himself in danger in a bid to get her _out_ of danger.

"_I'll lead them off. When I do, you get back to Sashimi._"

"...If you're not with me when I _get_ to Sashimi, I'm coming after you," she snapped. "You understand me?"

"_I hear you, Ms. Torres,_" and she was willing to swear he sounded... amused. "_I should be there shortly._"

"_Aww, I think he _likes_ you,_" Trevor teased.

"Trevor, I will hit you with a pillow if you don't shut up," she ground out, glaring out at the group of warpers intent on their task. "It's _not_ funny."

"..._Sypha's giggling, so I think she agrees with me._"

Anna decided to ignore them both, watching anxiously until the warpers dispersed. The derelict was gone... but that didn't mean she was out of danger just yet.

_Oxygen_ the computer warned.

She hissed quietly; the warpers were not leaving. The river prowlers were still between her and Sashimi. And Adrian Tepes was still on his way.

"_Ms. Torres, Sypha has said I may use Sashimi so that I have access to the defense system mod. You'll have to use Richter to escape._"

"...tch. Fine. Don't be too reckless..."

"_As you wish_."

If he'd been there, she would have glared at him too.

Despite forewarning, it still surprised her when Sashimi came flying out of the hiding spot she'd left it in, lights almost blindingly bright, and rammed sidelong into one of the prowlers, dumping the electrical charge into its side. The prowler let out a shriek that made the water vibrate, whipping around to try and bite the offending seamoth, and attracting the attention of the rest.

She watched with her heart in her throat as Adrian backed Sashimi off to give the shield a chance to recharge, then scudded off beyond where she could see, prowlers in hot pursuit.

"_I don't know if I like him, but that sounded ballsy_," Trevor said with grudging admiration. "_Anna, are you clear?_"

"...mostly."

There were still a couple prowlers that had been under the base, and the warpers had also been attracted by the noise. But her data pad chirps at her again warningly; she gathered herself carefully, wishing she'd thought to bring a seaglide along with her, then pushed off as hard as she could from the edge of the research facility.

* * *

"Please don't think I'm ungrateful, because I'm really not," Anna said as Adrian stepped into the room. "But please, for the sake of my anxiety? _Never do that again_."

Trevor, heartless bastard that he was, only snickered. Sypha hid a smile as Adrian looked at her for a long moment, then nodded slightly. Anna turned and gave her cousin a sour look.

"It's_ not funny_, Trevor."

"I mean, it also wasn't funny for us to see those things between you and Sashimi," he pointed out, smirk changing to a scowl. "He did what _I_ would have done. He was just faster about it."

Anna took in a sharp breath, more than willing to scold him too for even _considering_ the idea. Fortunately enough for all of them, Sypha interrupted.

"What did you find? Was any of it useful?"

"Sort of," Anna said, letting her breath out slowly. "The infection is an alien bacterium called kharaa. It attacks healthy cells, and mutates the genetic code, altering DNA. The people who were here before us got infected by accident, and their quarantine procedures failed, which led to their core worlds being infected on a wide scale. I think it's safe to say that they don't exist any more."

Sypha nodded, and Anna perched on the stool Adrian brought over for her, trying to ignore the way he settled a little too close for actual comfort. At least, _her_ comfort.

"The research facility here was studying it, and trying to find a way to cure it. From what they found, there were four stages. Thanks to the partial vaccine, we're all floating between stages two and three; we've got the skin lesions, Mr. Tepes has... his own challenges. But we're not dead or dying yet."

Which, frankly, was a bit on the impressive side. The fact that Adrian was still alive at _all_ was impressive, and Anna rather desperately wanted to find out how his infection was different from their infection.

"Did they find anything out that was _helpful_?" Trevor asked a bit cynically.

"Mmm..." Anna scrolled through the files with a small frown. "Something about an enzyme 42 that seems to negate the symptoms. They were trying to track it down, and it _looks_ like they had one in a containment center..."

"One _what_," Anna?" Sypha asked, her tone amused.

"Ah, sorry. They called it a Sea Emperor. Leviathan-class creature, but there's... not a lot of actual information on it," she replied. "It was being held in...If I had to hazard a guess, it's somewhere near the thermal plant."

"Any idea how long ago this was?" Trevor asked.

Anna shook her head.

"Longer than any of us have been here for certain, but whatever time and date system they had, it doesn't translate too well," she said with a small sigh. "The only other thing I managed to get was a damage assessment, what happened to the facility."

"What was it?" Sypha asked, leaning forward in her chair.

Anna half-smiled tiredly.

"They took a sea dragon egg. I saw it in one of the cases in there, along with... a lot of other things that would look right at home in a VR haunted house," and she shuddered a little, then startled slightly when a hand landed lightly on her shoulder. She glanced up at Adrian, who quickly removed his hand, then back down at her data pad, trying to pretend she wasn't as flustered as she felt. "My guess is that the sea dragon got territorial and wanted it back."

"Leviathan-class creatures are a bit of a pain like that," Sypha agreed with a small sigh. "So, what do we do now?"

Anna set the data pad to one side, and rested her elbows lightly on her knees as she leaned forward.

"We repair the Nautilus, and make a prawn suit," she said firmly. "The Nautilus can support us all while Trevor explores the thermal plant."

"Wait, what?" Trevor sat upright in surprise. "Why me?"

"Because _you're_ the only one who has prawn suit training," Sypha said with a snort.

"She's right," Anna nodded. "You've had the VR training and the certifications. Plus, the Cyclops bay can't hold more than one vehicle at a time. Since the mark 3 for the seamoth only gets us down to nine hundred, but the mark two for the prawn suit can reach fifteen, the prawn suit is the logical choice to take into the Nautilus. And even with the reinforced dive suits, fifteen hundred meters of crush depth is... bad for human bodies."

"Okay, but you were just out there in half that for over an hour," Trevor pointed out.

"The only reason I lasted that long was because I had the rebreather, Trevor," she retorted. "You can't tell me your lungs don't feel the pinch of it when you're out there trying to repair the Nautilus! Just because we can handle greater pressure than our ancestors could doesn't mean we're capable of going _that_ deep without serious surgical intervention."

"She's right," Sypha said with a small nod. "If it was only a few minutes, that would be one thing, but considering all the things on this planet that want to eat us, we'd basically be signing death certificates."

Behind her, Adrian made a very quiet sound. Anna hesitated, then shifted a little; just enough so that she could press her shoulder lightly back against his chest. She felt his hand creep cautiously to her hip, and though she didn't entirely enjoy the grip of his fingers, she didn't try to make him let go. She couldn't blame him for not liking the thought; _she_ didn't like the thought.

"The Cyclops is big and slow," Anna continued after a moment. "I don't know how fast the prawn suit is, but it's smaller, and would probably go more or less unnoticed by whatever predators are in the area if you maintain a healthy sense of caution."

"What, like you?"

His tone was light, almost teasing. The look she got was more serious. Anna made an annoyed sound.

"I am cautious when caution is warranted," she shot back. "_You_ like to pull reckless stunts at all hours of the day!"

"_Okay_, I think you two need to have a break," Sypha interrupted. "You're getting snappy with each other again."

Anna blinked, and leaned back a little more against Adrian more by accident than design. Guilt flooded her, and she looked away. There was no reason for her to be this annoyed by Trevor's comment; he'd been worried, and rightfully so. That whole venture could have ended much worse than it did.

"Sorry..."

"You," and Sypha's tone was stern enough to make Anna look up, realize she was being pointed at, "need a nap. It's been a rough few hours. You," and she turned to Trevor, pointing at him firmly, "can come with me, and we can get back to work on fixing the Nautilus and Bait."

"Oh, I can-"

"No," Sypha said, pointing at her again.

"But-"

"_No_."

"...okay..."

Trevor looked somewhere between amused and harassed, and he shared a rueful grin with Anna, who half-smiled in reply. Apparently Sypha was going to make them look after themselves, whether they wanted to or not. He got to his feet with a small groan, and followed Sypha out of the room, lifting his hand lightly in farewell.

Adrian shifted his hold as she slid off the stool, steadying her with one hand at the small of her back before pulling away.

"She is right, you know..."

"Hm?" Anna glanced up at him.

"You've had a tiring few hours, with only a partial dose of the vaccine to help you manage the symptoms. When was the last vaccine you... three took?"

He still wasn't sure Sypha and Trevor were real... which was strange, since he seemed to have acknowledge her as real, but she wasn't sure how to go about convincing him the rest of the way.

"Two days ago, by the data pad's clock," she said after a moment.

"And when do you take the next dose?"

"...four more days."

"Do you have doses on you?"

She nodded.

"Not _physically_ on me right now," she said when he gave her a narrow look. "They're in the Nautilus, stored in a locker. Why?"

"...I just want to make sure you're prepared in case you need to stay longer," he said, and it was _his_ turn to look away from her own narrow stare.

"If you make an attempt at sabotaging the repairs just so we stay longer, you will be in trouble," she said firmly.

To her surprise, he smiled, and looked at her again.

"No, I don't intend that. But if you're going to search for a deep entry point, starting here is not so bad of an idea, is it?"

Anna hesitated. Thought about it for a moment.

"No," she finally said, albeit slowly. "But we're not going to put any more strain on your resources than we absolutely need to, Mr. Tepes. We'd have to go back in a few days anyways, to replenish food supplies. The growbeds work mostly fine, but artificial light and natural light aren't the same thing."

"...no," he said quietly. "They aren't."

She winced a little; how long had it been since he'd seen real sunlight, or even moonlight? That had been insensitive.

Hesitantly, gingerly, she laid a hand on his arm. He went still for a moment, then seemed to come back to himself.

"We don't intend to leave you, Mr. Tepes. Not if we can help it," she said softly.

It was his turn to hesitate, then he laid his hand over hers.

"Come upstairs," he said after a moment. "A proper bed is much more comfortable than the one in the med bay."

"Would that be experience?" she asked, unable to keep from smiling.

"...yes."

But he smiled back softly, and for a moment Anna thought she could see a glimpse of the person he once was before eight, nine years of isolation had affected him.

* * *

"So, I'm going to have to go up to the surface to make the prawn suit," Trevor said. "The MVB doesn't work underwater."

"Hn... true. I'd forgotten that... Arm please."

He groaned theatrically, but held out his arm obediently, looking away when she inserted the needle. Anna watched narrowly as the vaccine flowed in the glass tube until it was empty, then pulled it back and lightly wiped the insertion mark with a cloth.

"There must be a reason you brought it up," she said, setting the syringe aside, and leaning back on her stool. "What is it?"

"Well, the moon pools are down here, and it's hard to get the Nautilus into the caves..."

"Trevor. You're my cousin and I love you dearly, but spit it out please."

He sighed.

"I think we've been down here too long. I know Tepes can't come to the surface with us because he'll burn to a crisp, but I think _we_ all need to go to the surface for at least a day, and remember what it's like. We can do things that don't... dance around him and his 'are you real or not?' attitude. I'm sure your pet stalker would like to see you again."

She pinched the bridge of her nose briefly.

"It's not a pet stalker, Trevor," she sighed a little. "But you may have a point. I just don't like it."

"Look, it's not like we'll be gone that long," he coaxed. "We'll build the prawn suit, get it in the Nautilus, and then we can use the vehicle bay in either the Jellybase moon pool or the one here to make the mods we need to get the prawn suit to full functionality. We can resupply the Nautilus from the grow beds, make some more vaccines, and maybe relax for a couple of days. I fixed his radio, so he can talk to us if he feels isolated."

She folded her arms over her chest, and leaned back against the counter, nibbling uncertainly at her lower lip.

It's not like Adrian went out of his way to be difficult; after eight years of solitude, his ability to pick up social and verbal cues was just a bit... lacking. She couldn't, didn't, blame him for that. And gods knew he was extremely touch starved, though he respected the fact that she wasn't the most comfortable with casual touching. She _let_ him because he needed it, needed the contact badly, but she didn't always _like_ it. He still hadn't willingly touched Sypha or Trevor, though... that worried her.

"All right," she sighed a little. "Did you already talk this over with Sypha?"

"Yes. She's not fond of leaving him behind either, but there not much we can do about that," and Trevor shrugged a little. "I need... maybe another four hours on the last of the internal repairs for the Nautilus, but after that we ought to be good to go."

"...okay. I'll talk to him. Go take your nap."

Trevor reached over and ruffled her hair, making her yelp and smack his hand off. He grinned as he left, and she muttered complaints at his back, though she didn't really mean any of them.

She fixed her hair and turned away from the door, taking the two depleted syringes and dropping them in the small incinerator. It was a pity that they couldn't be deconstructed and reused, but she wasn't quite willing to trust that it would go _well_.

She walked over to the locker she'd elected to use for storing the vaccines in this med-bay, and stood before it for a long moment. She'd managed to hide the half-dose for this long, mostly because Sypha and Trevor believed her when she said she was taking it, and she was good at keeping a lid on the worst of the lingering symptoms. She'd also been the one to _retrieve_ them, so they had no idea her vial was only half full.

"You _are_ going to take a full dose this time, aren't you?"

She jumped a foot and spun around, then glared as Adrian walked into the med-bay.

"How many times do I have to tell you to _not do that_?" she demanded, one hand over her heart as she tried to calm herself down again.

He had some of the _softest_ footfalls she'd ever found for a man of his size and weight, and it never failed that he _always_ startled her. Most of the time he would smile a little and apologize, which made her think he was doing it on purpose. Apologizing or not, if he kept it up, she was going to think about him wearing some sort of _bell_.

Today, there was no smile. Only a steely sort of resolve that made her want to take a few steps back and maybe hide until he didn't look quite so... unnerving.

"Ms. Torres..."

"Mr. Tepes." Anna felt the edge of the locker against her back and realized she'd moved away on reflex. She licked her lips, and tried to be firm. "_I_ am the one with medical training here, sir, not you. I will take the dose that I see fit to take."

"You will take a full dose," he replied, much more firmly than her. "If you do not take a full dose and continue to overwork yourself, you will collapse. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but _soon_. And because you _are_ the one with medical training, you should _know_ that skimping on the thing that's keeping you alive doesn't actually let it do its _job_."

He was halfway across the room, but somehow his very presence seemed to fill it. What's more he was right. He was right and she _knew_ he was right, but...

She looked away.

"...I don't have a full dose," she said hugging herself as tightly as she dared, her arms one huge ache. "And I can't _get_ a full dose, before you say anything."

He moved closer, and held out a hand. In his palm was a small bottle, filled with orange liquid.

"I made you one," he said when she just stared at him. "And you _will_ take it."

Anna opened her mouth to protest, then just sighed. He wasn't going to back down on this, and if she didn't take it, he might well tell the other two. Which would go badly.

"Fine. I'll take it."

"You'll take it now," he said firmly.

"Not to sound ungrateful, but I just gave Trevor and Sypha their doses, and they've claimed the only bed here. And if I'm right _you also_ need a dose, Mr. Tepes, which means you'll need a bed too, and there's only _one_ here in the med-bay."

"While not incorrect, my doses do not require me to lay down and sleep after," he replied, though he seemed... a little more relaxed since she'd agreed to take the whole dose. "And you are working off what... Liesse left at the previous base. While she was still here, she made improvements to it."

"Improvements?" Anna couldn't help but lean forward a little curiously.

The dose in his hand didn't look all that different from what she'd made already. Maybe it glowed a little more overtly golden against his palm, but that was about it.

"Yes," and he smiled faintly as she approached step by careful step. "Though if you have only been taking a lesser dose, you would certainly benefit from a rest after."

"...I suppose I could swim out to the Nautilus and use the bed we made there," she said, a little doubtfully.

"You're not leaving the med-bary until I _see_ you take the dose, Ms. Torres." And the stern look was back.

"I _said_ I would take it," she huffed, feeling mildly insulted.

"I'm sure you will. I'm just going to make certain of it."

She spluttered a bit, but there was no indication that he was going to yield. She didn't give in with grace, but when he gestured for her to take a seat, she did so. Grumpily.

Anna thought, for a moment, she saw a fleeting smile on his face; when she glanced up as she accepted the vaccine dose he offered, there was something like relief in his eyes that made her look away quickly. What had happened to Liesse that making _her_ take a proper dose was so important to him?

"...how do you usually take your doses?" she asked when he carefully picked up the third syringe and handed it to her.

"Mostly this way," and he gestured lightly at the bottle in her hand. "Though I can't reach some places that make a good injection site. I have to switch to... a liquid pill every few months so that the bruises heal."

"Bruises?"

Anna stared at him, then her eyes narrowed.

"Mr. Tepes, just how often do you need your own doses of vaccine?"

"Ah..." and now it was his turn to take a half-step back as she learned forward. "There are some extra factors-"

"_Mr. Tepes_. How _often_ do you need your vaccine?"

He looked away.

"...every three days," he said softly.

"Every thr... And you used materials _you need_ to make a dose for me? Why... why would you do something like that?!"

"Because you're the only one I think is _real!_"

She leaned back, startled by the admission. Adrian looked at her for a long minute, then turned away... but only enough so that he wasn't looking at her directly. He folded his arm across his chest, and seemed to hunch in on himself a little.

"I don't know how long it's been, Ms. Torres, since Liesse vanished. There are clocks in here, on the data pad, that tell me the hour, maybe even the day or the year, but what's the point of looking at them when they have no meaning?" he asked, his voice quiet and lost. "I have been down in the dark long enough that I do not question hallucinations any more, and part of me thinks that if I look away, you... all of you, will simply vanish, like so many have before. You have touched me, you _hit_ me," and she flushed, but caught the quick smile on his face even as she looked away in embarrassment, "and I know that you are a person, even if my doubts continue to rise. I watched Liesse work herself to the bone to make sure I lived, making sure I got everything I needed in her miracle vaccine, while only taking half or less of a dose that would keep her going."

Anna slid off the stool, setting syringe and vial aside, and reached out to touch Adrian's arm softly. He turned, and there were tears in his eyes... but he didn't unfold. She led him over to the stool and made him sit, gathered her nerve for a moment, then put her arms around his shoulders and moved in until his head rested against her shoulder.

She felt him tremble; his arms moved hesitantly until they were around her waist. When the only move she made was to get closer—that actually helped—his arms tightened, hands gripping the loose fabric of the shipsuit she was wearing. She felt more than heard him suppressing the sob, and very carefully rested her cheek on his head.

"It's okay," she said softly. "You can cry on me."

His whole body shuddered, and he pushed his face a little more against her shoulder. In short order, her shirt was damp, and he was shuddering with near-silent sobs, clinging to her hard enough to be uncomfortable. She didn't try to shush him, didn't try to make him stop; he'd been sitting on this grief, this pain, this fear for so many years, how could she?

She stroked his hair, weaving her fingers through strands that were surprisingly silky, and sang very softly, song that were only half-remembered from a time when life had been... kinder. Gentler, even. It hadn't been a very _long_ time, but she could remember her mother singing her to sleep.

She closed her eyes against the burn of tears, and pulled her mind away from those memories. That time in her life was long gone, and there would be no going back to it. And he would get no benefits from this if she started crying too, over such a little thing.

Eventually, slowly, his grip slackened and the tears dried. He still shuddered with the silent sobs, but even those tapered off, until he was just leaning heavily against her, breathing quietly.

"...Mr. Tepes?" she murmured.

"I'm awake," he replied, voice raspy.

"Feel any better?"

He nodded a little, and slowly straightened, finally releasing her from his hold. He ran his hands over his face, through his hair, and let out a long, shuddering sigh.

"...thank you," he said softly.

"You're welcome. You should rest..."

A small, tired smile flash across his face.

"Not before you take your dose."

But it wasn't stern now, it was soft, and Anna found herself unable to be annoyed that he'd caught her. She smiled ruefully back, shrugged in agreement, and turned to get the vaccine.

* * *

He looked down at her as she slept, her head having come to rest on his shoulder, and marveled at the strands of auburn hair that floated across her face. A week... or something less than that. A week of hearing new voices, seeing new people.

Adrian shifted carefully until Anna was curled up on the bench, her head in his lap, then adjusted the blanket until it covered her more securely. She muttered something unintelligible, then settled with a small sigh when he stroked a hand over her hair.

Real. Maybe the other two weren't, but _she_ was _real_. She was warm, she was here, and...

And she was working herself to pieces for her two companions, much the way Liesse had done for him.

He shied away from those thoughts quickly; if he dared think about her, about the fact that she'd simply... _vanished_...

Adrian closed his eyes and rubbed his face roughly, then looked down again at Anna's sleeping face. No, he would not let what happened to Liesse happen to her.

He. Would. Not.

* * *

Survivor's Log, Anna Torres

I think I see why Mr. Tepes insisted I have that full dose. I haven't slept like that in a long time, and I feel better for it. My mind isn't buzzing half as loud or as hard, and I feel...

Well, I'm not sure what I feel beyond ready to go after the next challenge.

Trevor thinks we need to go to the surface for as many as five days, but I'm worried that if we leave Mr. Tepes alone for that long, with only radio contact, we'll come back and have to go through the whole 'not real' thing again. I wish he could come up with us, but we don't have the means to facilitate a base at a depth that would be safe for him to reach.

….I think I'll take him some pictures with my data pad. He can't visit, but maybe just seeing the sky, and the island, will help.


	15. Fourteen

Fourteen

"It will only be for a few days," she said reassuringly, resting one hand over his. "And then we'll be back and looking for a way down to find the thermal plant."

Adrian nodded, but she wasn't entirely sure he was _processing_ what she was saying. He'd been tracking something she couldn't see when she'd sought him out, and even with her touch he seemed... somewhere else.

"Mr. Tepes?"

He startled visibly, and finally focused on her.

"Oh. Ms. Torres."

She sighed a little, and shook her head lightly.

"You didn't hear a word of that, did you?"

"I... no," and his small smile was rueful. "My apologies. What were you saying?"

"Trevor wants to take the Nautilus up to the surface so that it's available for the prawn suit," Anna repeated patiently. "He's fixed your radio so it works so that we can stay in contact. We'll be away for a bit, maybe five days at most, but after that we'll come back and start looking for a way down to the thermal plant to see if we can't find a way either to the Sea Emperor or just cutting off power to the alien weapon."

"Ah. I see..."

He looked... uneasy. Troubled. But he nodded after a moment, far more firmly than she thought he might.

"You should take the files for the new vaccine with you," he said after a moment. "Update your own stores."

"I plan on it," she said with a small smile. "Oh, but before I forget, Trevor wanted to know if you wanted to come out to the Nautilus. There's a locker with your name on it, and we don't know if there's anything in it, but..."

"...given the rather brash nature of your cousin, I'm surprised he hasn't tried to go through it."

Anna giggled and shrugged.

"He defers to manners when I'm around," she replied. "Most of the time, anyways."

He nodded a little, a half-smile on his face.

"So, will you come?"

* * *

Adrian stared at the lockers with trepidation; his name was one the one between Liesse's and Scott's, and he looked like he was no longer sure he wanted to be there. Anna waited quietly at his elbow, a little behind just in case, and watched his face.

"...you don't have to," she said gently. "We can go back to the base, get something to eat?"

He was so tense and so focused she wasn't even sure he'd heard her until he shook his head slowly.

"No, I..." He let out a slow sigh; she could practically _feel_ the tension coming off him. "I can do this."

His hand still shook when he lifted it, and pulled open the locker. It was mostly empty, with a dusty and dead scanner at the bottom, a shipsuit of a much older design hanging on one hook, and an equally dusty and dead data pad on the small upper shelf. He hung his head slightly, tension leaking out of his frame to be replaced by something else, something that looked... almost bitter. He closed it gently and turned away, silently making for the ladder.

Anna turned to follow, and something dropped onto her head, startling her enough that she froze as it hit the ground with a soft clatter. She looked down as Adrian left, absently noting the sound of him returning to the water as she tried to track whatever had hit her; if they were losing bolts inside, that wouldn't go well for their need to go deeper.

It glinted at her near the doorway into the bridge; somehow Adrian had manged to walk right past without seeing it, wrapped up in whatever emotion he'd been feeling so tightly as to be oblivious to the rest of the world.

She crouched down and picked it up, running her thumb over it curiously. The holo-locket was gold, and other than a layer of dust, seemed like it was perfectly intact. She looked up curiously, wondering how it could have gotten up beyond line of sight, then back down.

It was a beautiful piece of craftsmanship; A curly 'A' dominated the face, the middle line having been replaced with a simple sapphire. Along the edge were more swirls, with the tiniest of diamond, emerald, and ruby chips.

In fact, the only damage it had was that the loop for the chain had snapped; the only downside of gold was its softness if not mixed with another metal.

Anna looked at it for a moment longer, feeling the subtle depression on the back that, if held down, would open up the locket's visual files. She was curious for certain, but it wasn't right for her to see it first.

So she stuck it under the neck of her wetsuit and followed Adrian out of the sub.

* * *

It was _strange_ to see him in the water; she'd gotten used to him walking around in loose pants and a long shirt, so the sight of him in a wetsuit was disconcerting. But he was in his containment tank, swimming with the cuddlefish she'd decided to call Squishy—much to Trevor's laughing amusement. It twirled around him, bomping its head up against his mask, playing with the tank on his back, and fitting itself under his hands for pets.

It made her smile, just a little; she was still too uncertain, to worried about infecting the cute little thing to go into the tank, but plainly that didn't even cross Adrian's mind.

"Anna, are you ready to go yet?" Trevor asked, sticking his head into the room. "All the repairs are finished, and I'd like to get this prawn suit made sooner rather than later..."

She blinked at him as he glanced from her, to Adrian, then back.

"...something going on?" he asked.

"You could say that," she said after a thoughtful moment. "Look, why don't you start back without me? I'll catch up in Bait."

Trevor frowned at her, and Anna shrugged lightly.

"He had a bad moment on the Nautilus," she said quietly. "But I found something he might want to see. I just... want to let him relax a little before I do something that might hurt him again."

Trevor scratched his head with a sigh.

"Oh, all right," and he gave her a small, crooked smile. "Just don't do anything too crazy."

"I'm not you," she said, reaching over to give him a light push. "I'll be careful. I'll contact you if I don't catch up within a couple hours, okay?"

"Fine, fine," he shrugged a little, then reached over and ruffled her hair. "See you on the surface then."

"Yes, you will."

He left her then, though not without a worried backwards glance; Anna smiled in reply and made shooing motions, and he made a face for her benefit.

When she turned to look back at Adrian, she realized he was watching her, and offered him a shyer smile than the one she'd given Trevor.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, raising her voice so that he could hear her through the thick glass.

After a moment he shrugged lightly, but as Squishy slid around him again, she saw the smile.

"Would you come out? I found something that I think is yours."

* * *

He'd changed into dry clothes by the time she joined him in the room that was his sleeping quarters. She'd been reluctant to venture up there on her own for the most part, usually electing to sleep in a chair, or on a bench instead. Putting him out of his room bothered her, even if he made no complaints when Sypha and Trevor did the same.

"I sent Trevor and Sypha on ahead of me, and said I'd catch up in a couple of hours," she said, electing to sit in a chair near the ladder in case she needed to leave in a hurry. "Or contact them if I needed more time."

That made him pause in the process of rebraiding his hair, and he raised an eyebrow at her.

"You left before you could notice, but something bounced off my head while we were in the Nautilus. When I tracked it, I found this," and she held out the hol-locket. "I think... it's yours, isn't it?"

Adrian moved closer, saw what was in her palm, and went very still. It was hard to judge if he went pale, considering his typical pallor, but when he swayed where he stood, Anna was quick to get up and scamper to brace him... or at least help him go down in a manner that wouldn't lead to him hitting his head. His hemoglobin was already exceptionally low without the help of a head injury.

"Mr. Tepes?!"

"It's... yes, it's mine," he said, and his soft voice was shaky. "I had... hoped it would be there, but I also... I wasn't sure. My mind has played many tricks on me..."

"It's no trick," she said gently, helping him to sit on the edge of his bed. "It's right here, as solid and real as I am. Here."

She put it in his hand, and sat next to him, letting him lean on her heavily as he looked down at the little golden locket.

"...my mother gave me this," he said softly, running his thumb over the front. "Before I left on the Degasi. It was going to be... a long trip, you see. Two or three years before I would see my parents or my brother again. So she... loaded it up with family pictures, candid moments of my childhood. Maybe even a vid or three, she never did say what all there was."

Anna nodded slightly, watching his face, and hearing the tension in his voice.

"Do you want me to leave?" she asked gently.

"No!" the vehement response made her jump, tense, but Adrian's follow up was much softer. "No, I... please stay."

She hesitated, then leaned up against his arm. His hand crept around her waist again, tugging her closer until they were hip to hip, his fingers curled in the fabric of her shipsuit. He stared down at the locket, and she could feel him trembling, so after a moment, she reached over and put her hand over it.

"It's okay," she said softly. "You don't have to look through it right now. You don't have to look through it at all if it hurts too much. It can be enough to just have it."

His fingers curled loosely around hers, and he sagged a little, until he was rested his cheek on her head. Lightly she brought her other hand up, and just rubbed his back.

"...Ms. Torres?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you for finding this."

She smiled a little, wryly, rather glad he couldn't see it. She hadn't exactly _found_ it, but she wasn't going to say that she thought a ghost had bounced it off her head. That would probably go over like a brick of plasteel.

"You're welcome, Mr. Tepes."

"...you could," he said after a moment, warmth and a touch of humor entering his tone, "call me Adrian."

"Ah... I'll try."

* * *

The sun felt _nice_ after so long in the dark, and Anna couldn't help but lift her face to it, stretching her arms up to catch the stiff sea breeze.

"Feels good, huh?" Trevor asked with a grin. "Didn't realize how much I missed it til I saw the damn thing again."

"And then there was an eclipse and you _whined_ until it was done," Sypha said, a teasing note in her voice.

"Oh, like you weren't trying to tell the moon to hurry up and get out of the way yourself," Trevor shot back, grinning.

"Not to put too fine a point on it, but I _did_ tell Mr. Tepes that we'd try to be back as quickly as possible," Anna interrupted, lowering her arms abruptly. "Did you stop by Jellybase before getting up here?"

"Double-checked all the seals, fusspot," Trevor said, reaching over to ruffle her hair. "It's all dry inside."

"You mean it's dry inside _now_," Sypha said tartly, poking him as Anna smacked his hand off her hair. "We had to reseal a leak in the med-bay, but I think it got to some of the wiring. The base up here is sound, at least, and we have plenty of fish to use for making that new vaccine of Adrian's."

"All right. I'll look in on Jellybase before I go back to Mr. Tepes," Anna said with a nod as she did her best to fix the hair that Trevor had pulled out of her braids. "I'm guessing you've just been enjoying the sun otherwise?"

"Well, wouldn't you?" Trevor replied, giving her a roguish grin. "Come on, Anna, feel the heat, and the fresh air. The lack of pressure!"

"There's a lack of physical pressure, I agree, but I don't want to stay up here for too long," she replied, folding her arms across her chest. "It will be far too easy for Mr. Tepes to regress without a constant reminder, and just talking on the radio won't do that."

Trevor sighed, and slung an arm around her.

"Okay, okay. But we need at least _one_ day to do nothing serious," he retorted. "I am going to do nothing at all except sit on the beach and pretend we're on a deserted island."

"...Trevor, we _are_ on a deserted island."

Sypha and Anna looked at each other, then laughed; they had spoken in unison. Trevor groaned a little, mockingly, messed up Anna's hair again, and laughed when she dug her elbow into his side.

* * *

"I wish you could see it," Anna said wistfully as she held up her data pad and carefully framed a picture of the sunset. "It's beautiful up here..."

"_I expect it is,_" Adrian replied, though he sounded trouble. "_For a world that has been ravaged by the kharaa, it's extremely lovely._"

"Can you think of anything you'd specifically like a picture of?"

"_Nothing really comes to mind_," he said slowly. "_I don't remember much of anything from up there, so you should take pictures of whatever pleases you most_."

She was doing that already, but she made a noise of acknowledgment anyways.

"Trevor's going to take the Nautilus out towards his lifepod in the morning, and deploy the MVB there so that it can build the prawn suit. He _also_ said I wasn't allowed to name it. Just because I gave the seamoths silly names!" She put some huff in her voice and was rewarded with a soft chuckle. "I'm half tempted to sneak it into the moon pool and name it for him just for that."

"_What would you call it?_"

"I'm not sure, but I can come up with something! Maybe call it Crawdad, or Shrimpy... maybe Praeline~"

The laughter became louder, and she couldn't help but feel pleased with herself.

"_I'm not sure your cousin would appreciate that_," he said after a moment, humor thick in his tone.

"Well, that would be the point."

The chuckling lasted longer this time, and she sat down comfortably on the beach, letting the last of the sun soak into her skin as he wound down.

"_...still there, Ms. Torres?_"

"I'm here. Just... thinking, I guess."

"_About what?_"

"...it's silly."

"_I'm sure it's not_."

She snorted a little.

"No, it's silly."

"..._would you share it with me anyways?_"

She smiled a little at the coaxing tone.

"I was just... thinking about food," she admitted. A lie, but he didn't need to know that. "I almost wish we still had some nutrient blocks from the Aurora left. I'm kind of tired of fish and fruit."

"_I see..._" There was a pause for several minutes on his end, enough to make her tip her head slightly in mild concern.

"Mr. Tepes?"

"_I'm still here_," he said after a moment more. "_According to the clock, the sun has gone down. Shouldn't you get back to your base so you can rest?_"

"Maybe in a couple of hours. It's pretty at night too, you know."

"_Ah, so I am to receive pictures of the moons too?_"

"Well, if I'd been up sooner, I would have one of the eclipse, but in lieu of that, yes. The moon, stars, and the surface of the sea. I'm... I'm sure we'll find a way to get you back up here eventually."

"_...it is a kind thought, Ms. Torres. Thank you. I think I shall retire, however. Will you be all right?_"

There was an odd note in his voice, one that worried her without understanding why.

"I'll be okay. Will you?"

"_...yes..._"

It sounded an awful lot like a _no_, but short of getting in Bait and slipping off, she couldn't actually call him on it.

"Okay. Get some rest. Have happy dreams."

"_I'll try._"

The soft hiss of static cut out, and she flopped back onto the sand with a tired sigh. Sadness, maybe? Something about the tone of his voice poked at her, nudged her as the stars came out overhead, and the moons began a silent dance across the sky. She lifted her data pad and framed some pictures with care, then rested it on her knees with a small frown.

After a moment she nodded and got to her feet. Trevor didn't need her up here; he had Sypha to help him do everything he wanted, and then some. If she stayed, she'd only be third-wheeling, getting in the way.

She would pop into Jellybase on the way down, make sure nothing had gotten so wet as to short circuit and cause a fire, and then she'd bounce the rest of the way back to the base where Adrian Tepes resided.

* * *

Walking into Jellybase made her wrinkle her nose slightly; though the air purifier was working as it ought, it couldn't hide the fact that some things had definitely been soaked, and there was a very distinctive smell that wires had when they were sparking. She was going to have to fix that for certain before leaving again.

The med lab floor was mostly dry, but her shoes still squelched slightly as she walked across it, seeking the spot where paneling had rusted through and corroded wires were crackling. When she found it, she carefully used the laser cutter to get the panel off, and then went to fetch the rest of what she needed while the wall cooled.

The lights flickered as she walked back in, but she ignored it; they'd been giving her trouble ever since they'd _started_ repairing the base, but they wouldn't die on her in the middle of a repair.

Hopefully.

Carefully she isolated the angry wires, alternating tools until she could get one half of the troublesome things out of the wall without being shocked. As she did so, the lights flickered again, and audio snapped out from the med-bay speakers, making her jump a foot.

"Was zum Teufel?!_ What in the hell are you doing with my patient, Scott?_"

Dr. Montblanc sounded angry... and maybe a little scared. No, not scared, but concerned, definitely.

"_Just making him more comfortable, Doc,_" Scott replied.

There was a tone in his voice that Anna didn't like. She'd heard it before in other people, who were trying to cover something up, or getting ready to blame it on someone else.

"_And how did his IV come out?_" Montblanc asked, her voice suspicious.

"_He pulled it out. I was going to patch it up and get you to put it back in. You know how he gets when he starts thrashing around._"

Anna's lips thinned; she had ended up curling up with Adrian a time or two—mostly by accident—and the idea of him thrashing about was almost ridiculous. He barely _moved_ when he slept, let alone had the strength to thrash around hard enough to remove a properly inserted IV.

There was the sound of movement, a bit of clattering about. When Montblanc spoke again, her voice was ice cold, and threatening.

"_I will admit that he could have pulled his IV out on his own, though he is barely capable of movement at this point, but there is no way he could have turned his oxygen off._"

"_That's just a malfun-_"

"Do not lie to me, Scott," she snapped.

Scott made a soft sound that was almost a snarl, and hit something that clattered loudly.

"_He's dead weight, Montblanc!_" he snapped back. "_He's taking up oxygen and resources that we need to conserve, and he can't even work his microscope anymore! He's got it worse than both of us, we already gave up a perfectly good surface base to coddle him, and now you're talking about transfusions, and sure, I don't mind giving blood on a one-off, but that isn't what this is! There is no cure! Might as well put him out of everyone's misery!_"

"Halt den Mund, verdammt noch mal. Nein," Monblanc said, voice firm and cold. "_It is true we have not found a cure yet. But I have not been a doctor for thirty years to give up on my patient while he still draws breath. If there is even a glimmer of hope. There are three of us alive here, and that is how it will remain so long as I have anything to say about it. And if you do not feel the same, then perhaps you can take your survival of the fittest _bullshit_ and your seamoth and go do something _useful._ We need more titanium._"

Anna held her breath; it didn't matter that this recording was a decade old, the idea that Scott had tried to casually kill Adrian like that was honestly horrifying.

And infuriating.

There was a few snarled curses, and some stomping feet.

"_Connor Scott has left the habitat._" came the announcement.

Anna let out a breath she didn't even realize she'd been holding, and sagged lightly against the wall, her repairs forgotten. As she wondered if that was the end of the file, Adrian spoke up.

"_...He has a point you know. I am just dead weight._," His voice was tired. Weak. It scared her, and made her want to reach back to the past, to hold this version of him and tell him it would be all right. "_You should let me go. It was different when I could still work, but-_"

"_None of that, Adrian. I will _not_ have you listening to his idiocy,_" Montblanc interrupted, sounding both weary and annoyed. "_You are alive, and we will do all we can to keep it that way, _ja?"

There was a sound almost like a chuckle; it was so weak it made Anna wince.

"_...It always was useless to argue with you..._"

Now the doctor chuckled, and if tired, it was warm. Fond even.

"_I am glad you have been paying attention. Get some rest._"

"_...Thank you, Liesse. I wi-_"

With another sharp snap, the light died. Anna yelped in surprise and spun towards the wall; it wasn't supposed to do _that_, damnit! As she scrambled for it, there was a loud crash; as her gaze slid past the window she froze again at the sight of the derelict seamoth.

_Warning; external seals compromised. Immediate reseal required._

Anna jolted a little at the announcement, and hip-checked her exam table as she bolted out of the room towards the entry hatch. She skidded to a halt and stared for several minutes as the lights abruptly snapped back on; the door had been hit by what looked to be a large rock... perhaps a stalactite, even. It was pressing inward against the hatch, cracking the glass and compromising the tight rubber seals.

She turned and sprinted for the locker that held the habitat builder, then scrambled back to deconstruct the hatch entirely. It would be a lot easier to just reclaim the materials in atom form than to try and repair things the slow way. Plus, without a hatch to brace against, the rock would continue the rest of the way to the sea floor.

There was a loud crunching sound that made her wince as the hatch became a smooth wall, and when the rock fully hit the ground next to the base, the whole structure shook.

Anna clutched the habitat builder between hands that trembled, and stumbled back until she hit the wall. What had that even been? A warning, or an accident? Was that _really_ Scott's seamoth, a kharaa-riddled ghost of some sort, or was she losing it, just a little?

She turned and shoved the builder back into the locker, closing it tightly. She'd come back later, fix the med-bay and the hatch both, but right now being alone was the _last_ thing she wanted.

* * *

_Anna Torres has entered the base_

Adrian lifted his head slightly, then dismissed the announcement as nothing; Anna was... one the surface. Wasn't she?

The base had been too quiet with them gone. Amazing how only a few days worth of time spent around an actual person made it feel so much bigger, so much emptier.

He lightly touched the data pad on his lap, breathing out a small sigh. How long had it been since he'd listened to this voice file? But seeing her reminded him of Liesse. Not physically, physically they couldn't have been more different, but the attitude, the bossy look Anna got when she thought he wasn't taking care of himself.

The sad look in her eyes when she thought no one was watching.

_Beginning playback_

"_You know, I don't think I noticed before. But it's... pretty. Down here._"

"_It is_," Liesse's voice was quiet. "_The pods remind me of when I was a little girl. My papa took me to Norway, to see the aurora, just before my family left Earth._"

"_I've never been to Earth. I think my father has been, but I grew up on Athena, in the Apollo system. The magnetosphere's not right for an aurora, but there's a species of giant moth with luminous wings that swarms in the warmer months. It was like... watching a glowing watercolor painting._"

"_That sounds lovely._"

"_I wish you could see it._"

"_I wish I could too._"

He remembered the beat of silence; they had both realized they would not be leaving the planet any time soon, if ever. He had been still so ill, and Liesse... he knew then she had given up on rescue.

"...Do you still have family out there?" he murmured along with the recording.

"_Ah, I expect my grandchildren are just starting middle forms in school now. My daughter is an architech for Juno Cosmology, and they live on the New Berlin station, in the Helios system. ... Unfortunately, we have both been rather busy of late._"

"_My parents still live on Athena, with my younger brother. He was just starting middle form when I left. ... I miss them._"

"_I am sorry._"

"_I know. I'm sorry too._"

"...Mr. Tepes?"

He blinked and looked up; that was not part of the recording. He'd been Adrian to Liesse since... since he'd burned his face, so why was she...?

He turned. Anna stood in the doorway, and for a moment he felt relief. Then he got a good look at her face, how pale she was in the habitat's harsh lights, and was on his feet in an instant, tossing the data pad to the desk. Her hair was still damp, so he assumed she'd come in through the lower hatch, but that didn't account for why she looked so...

Scared.

He hesitated before her, having reached out on nothing more than reflex, the desire to feel solid, warm contact. But the way she was hugging herself, the way she shivered...

"Are you all right?" he asked, slowly lowering his hand again. "I... thought you went to the surface."

A weak smile was his response.

"I did. But... Trevor and Sypha don't need me hanging around doing... doing nothing. So I thought I'd come back down."

There was more. He _knew_ there was more. He'd seen many expressions from her since her arrival, since the realization that she was _real_. She'd laughed, she'd glared, she'd been uncomfortable and uneasy at times...

But he'd never actually seen her look afraid.

When he reached out carefully a second time, she surprised him by moving forward until she could loop her arms around his waist, hiding her face against his chest. She _was_ shaking, and her hands curled into the fabric of his shirt as though he was some sort of... lifeline.

"Did something happen?" he asked, loosely wrapping his arms around her.

"N... no..."

It sounded an awful lot like a _yes_ to him.

"It's just... unnerving. A bit. Being down here alone."

Not entirely a lie, but definitely not the truth either. Still, she had done him so many favors since arriving, he could let this go.

"...here," and he shifted a little nudging her towards the chair. "You sit down. I'll get you something to drink, and a blanket to help you warm up."

"I'd... rather just come with you... if that's okay," she said softly.

"You're limping," he pointed out. "You should sit."

"It's... just a bruise. I hip-checked my... the exam table in Jellybase."

Not a lie. But why had she done that? Had she had a fight with her cousin? Sometimes that man reminded him too much of Scott... except Anna trusted him, and why would he hallucinate a different version of Scott anyways?

"...all right," he said after a moment. "We'll go together to get you some tea and a blanket."

He felt more than saw the tension easing out of her shoulders, and found himself wondering even more just what had scared her like this.

* * *

Sitting on the bench, a blanket wrapped around her shoulder, a mug of hot tea in her hands, Anna finally felt secure again. Adrian had wavered for a bit before she'd indicated he could sit next to her, and there was something... soothing about that flutter. He was worried, but he wasn't pressing at her the way Trevor would have, demanding an answer she didn't want to give.

She didn't like answering questions that only led to more questions, and she didn't _have_ any good answers. Not yet.

It was plain now that the derelict was stalking her. Maybe only her, maybe not; she didn't want to ask if Trevor or Sypha had seen the thing, because then she'd have to admit that she knew about it. Which would upset Trevor, and if she could at all avoid that, she absolutely wanted to.

"...did you get any good pictures, Ms. Torres?" he asked, nudging up against her gently.

"Mn?"

It wasn't the question she'd expected, dreaded. She'd thought he'd ask what scared her; why had she run into her exam table? But the pictures...?

"I... did, yes," she said after a moment, shifting her hold on the mug so that she could retrieve the data pad, unfolding it and calling up the relevant files. "Here."

He didn't take the pad from her, just leaned on her and looked at the screen.

"That's the habitat you... three built?"

"Mmhm. I wanted... something out of the water. To try and avoid getting overly infected too fast. We... well, _I_ had to play around with the blueprints a bit to get the foundation to hold, but once we did that, the base wasn't too hard to build. Every room has a purpose, too," and she managed a small smile. "No wasted space allowed, not when we're trying to conserve resources."

"It looks... comfortable," he said after a minute, reaching out to lightly touch the display. "You built it?"

"Mmhm. Trevor had the laser cutter and wanted to go back to the Aurora. I had Sypha go with him because he's an idiot at times and needs oversight. And I... needed the alone time."

She flushed a little as he gave her a curious look.

"I love them both, I really do... I'm just... it's hard being around people every hour of every day. We don't exactly have a choice here, it's stick together or... or get into trouble, but..."

He nodded a little, and Anna stopped trying to find the right words. There _were_ no right words to explain it, not really. Instead of trying, she carefully swiped through the next pictures, taking him on a tour of the base.

"Your base seems... well thought out," he said once they'd moved back to the pictures of the island.

"Ah... well," she couldn't help but feel pleased. "Thank you."

He smiled at her slightly, then leaned in to look at the rest of the pictures.

* * *

Survivor's log, Anna Torres

Despite the upsets, I'm glad I came back down. Mr. Tepes looked a little... lost when I walked in on him, but I guess I was showing more of my distress than I meant to. It... felt nice. To be cared for. I know Trevor would have done the same, but Trevor's... Trevor's _bad_ with reading emotions at times. For all Mr. Tepes has lost a lot of filter, and misses cues, he helped more than Trevor would have.

Not that I'll tell Trevor that.

I need to go back to Jellybase, but I don't want to go by myself again. I also don't think I want to take Mr. Tepes there until he's more... stable. Going into the Nautilus shook him. Going back to that base, where Scott tried to kill him... No. That would be bad.

I think I'll just stay here until Sypha and Trevor come back. Trevor can help me rewire Jellybase again, and maybe Sypha can convince Mr. Tepes that she's a real person... though, hopefully without a slap.

I still can't believe I did that...


	16. Fifteen

Fifteen

"Remind me again why you wanted me to come with you?" Trevor asked as he unspooled some of the copper wire. "Can't just be because I'm your adoring cousin..."

"First off, you're my _only_ cousin," Anna said a bit tartly. "Secondly, you're taller than me and can reach those panels up there so we can get all the corroded wiring out. Thirdly, someone needs to stay with Mr. Tepes, and you make him edgy. I've seen it."

"So instead you left Sypha and decided to use me as you cheap labor, I see how it is."

She half-smiled at him, and shrugged lightly. She _had_ considered bringing Sypha with her, and had gone back and forth on the choice for almost a day before asking Trevor. Sypha's presence was more calming, but Trevor _did_ make Adrian uncomfortable, so Trevor had been the obvious choice to bring.

She was mostly glad he'd _agreed_ to it, and just stood back, watching as he cut another hole in the wall to get at more of the corroded wires.

"I though we solved these electrical problems," he grumbled, pulling the panel away.

"So did I, but apparently not."

Working with Trevor was nice, honestly. His height and strength helped with getting things off that she alone would have struggled with, and just his solid presence was a comfort. Being in the base by herself wasn't exactly something she felt inclined towards doing at the moment.

"You okay, Anna?" he asked as he lowered another panel to the floor and reached for a different cutting tool so that eh could get the wires out. "You look... stressed."

"In my defense, what's on this planet that _isn't_ stressful?" she said dryly.

"Fair enough. Here, pass me the wire, will you?"

She did so, watching carefully as he laid the wire and fused it into place.

"Do you think we should take Tepes with us when we go hunting for this thermal plant?" he asked.

"I mean, unless you have a better idea? No, that connects to the left, Trevor. You do it like that and you'll just fry the room."

He grumbled a bit, but obligingly fixed the offending wires.

"It's just... he still doesn't quite think we're real, does he?"

"He's very uncertain about you and Sypha still," she said with a small nod. "But I think if we give it a bit more time, we can pull him back onto more... mentally stable footing."

"How much more is a bit?" Trevor asked, turning so that he could look at her over his shoulder. "Because we've been here for a few months now, Anna, and I'm not resigning myself to staying here forever."

She half-smiled ruefully and shrugged.

"Neither am I. But... you can't erase eight years of damage in just two weeks. And sometimes I think he's just as reckless as you are, he only hides it better. Or maybe he's... I don't know. Tired. I get the feeling that he was on the verge of just giving up and we arrived just in time to pull him back from that... But..."

Trevor sighed and paused in his wiring to come over and give her a hug.

"You and your damn hyper-empathy," he grumbled.

It was a familiar complaint, and it made her smile as she hugged him back.

"I know. I don't want to stay here for the rest of my natural life either, but I do think we need to give him more than just two weeks to acclimatize to us. He needs to understand that you're just as much flesh and blood as he is, as I am, and that's... that's going to take time."

Trevor sighed in acknowledgment, and gave her a gentle squeeze.

"I'm just... worried," he admitted, pulling back a little. "The longer we take..."

"I know. Believe me, I know," she interrupted, not wanting him to give voice to the fear that rose up in her whenever she had a chance to breathe. "Have a little faith, Trevor, okay? As long as we stick together..."

He smiled a little, and ruffled her hair gently.

"We've got everything," he finished.

She pushed his hand off with a small huff, making him laugh as she'd hoped it would. He turned back to the wall, a little more relaxed now, and she turned to look out the med-bay window at the pink glowing Jellyshrooms.

If they took too long, there was a good chance the infection could adapt to their partial cure. If they took too long, there was a chance that they would get complacent, comfortable, and end up like Adrian; afraid to move forward, unable to go back. If they took too long, one by one something would happen until they were gone. Who would be the last one standing if they failed?

She busied herself unspooling more wire, feeling the anxiety that crawled up her spine and trying to stuff it back down into the small ball she'd been hiding it in. _Trevor_ might not pick up on it, but if she let it run rampant, both Sypha and Adrian _would_.

"What happened out there anyways?" Trevor asked idly.

"Mm?"

"The big rock on the ground."

"Oh. Not sure. Maybe one of the crabsnakes knocked it loose. It was damaging the hatch... I should go put it back, I suppose."

"You think?" and he grinned at her.

She stuck out her tongue in reply, then went to go retrieve the habitat builder and replace the exterior hatch.

* * *

"Ah, damnit!" Trevor swore, shaking his hand out slightly. "How many shorts can one set of wires have?!"

"Apparently a great number," Anna replied, carefully pulling out another water-damaged chip. "We may need to just deconstruct everything here and the room, and rebuild it..."

"That sounds like cheating, but-ow!"

The lights flickered as Trevor swore, and Anna winced sympathetically. The speakers in the room hissed and popped threateningly, making both of them jump as audio began to play.

"_-drian, get up. You must get up now._"

They exchanged a look, and Anna carefully sat up; Liesse sounded... scared. Maybe even a little frantic. A far cry from the usually even-tempered, stern woman.

"_...Liesse? I don't- she was calling... need to find her..._"

Adrian's voice was familiar now, albeit clogged by sleep and much weaker than usual. Anna winced, and Trevor grimaced. There was some clattering, a few clicks and a soft hiss as though something was decompressing.

"_Tell me of this later, Adrian. Sit up. Can you walk?_"

The fear had faded with Adrian's awakening, replaced by briskness... but the urgency was clear enough.

"_...Maybe? You said I shouldn't..._"

Trevor made a slight, inquisitive gesture, but Anna could only shrug, clutching helplessly at the tools in her hands. Even knowing it was ten years gone, that Adrian was better, stronger, the way he sounded...

_"__Ja_,_ but now you must. Lean on me. Come, come._"

"_...Okay._"

More shuffling sounds, ones Anna could identify as clothing being changed.

"_We will need to go in the water for a few moments. I will guide you. Just keep breathing steadily if you can._"

What was it costing her, Anna wondered, to sound as calm as she was? What had _happened_ to make Liesse decide to move someone who sounded so ill, so close to dying?

"_...The water?_" Adrian's tone grew slightly less muzzy. "_Are we going to find her?_

_"Nein_._ Just to-_"

With a sizzling snap that arced across the room, the audio shorted out, as did half the lights. Anna yipped as the static discharge snapped over her skin, fortunately not strong enough to do serious damage, but enough to hurt. Trevor's swearing was clear indication that it had hit him too.

"...okay, you know what? Let's just break it all down and rebuild it from scratch," he said with a grimace and a scowl. "That'll hurt less."

Anna nodded in agreement, and shook out her hands with a pained wince; the sooner they were done and could get back to the other base, the better it would be.

* * *

"What do you think happened?" Sypha asked, her expression troubled.

"Considering the shape we found Jellybase in, Scott probably lost his grip thanks to the kharaa," Trevor replied, carefully wrapping a loose bandage around Anna's wrists. "I bet the drinking didn't help any."

Anna winced a little as he taped the bandages in place, but murmured her thanks; the burns weren't too bad, but they hurt enough she wanted a dressing on them, and she'd probably need to stay out of the water for at least a day.

"I mean, think of the other log, you know?" he continued, tugging Sypha until she leaned on him. "Pulling shit like that while the doctor's back was turned..."

"Oooo," and that one made Sypha scowl. "Trying to kill a helpless person..."

Anna half-smiled; she'd been on the fence about letting them hear that one, but Trevor had gotten bossy about it. Fortunately, Adrian had been well out of hearing range, though she'd kept watch while they listened; the last thing he needed was to have a traumatic memory like that brought back up because her cousin was being nosy.

"In any case, it's basically water under the bridge now," she said quietly, folding her hands in her lap. "Scott's decidedly dead, and there's nothing he can do against Mr. Tepes any longer."

And maybe if she said it often enough, she'd be able to believe it too.

* * *

"-so if we take the Seafood Trio out, we can build a sonar map to link to the data pad," Sypha said. "That way, these tunnels stop being so confusing, and maybe we have a chance of figuring out where the way down to the thermal plant is."

Anna nodded a little.

"Everyone's fully upgraded and modded out?" she asked.

"Equipped with the electro-shield, hull reinforcement, depth modules and storage space," Sypha confirmed. "I wish they could take more modifications... I'd feel better if we could use small torpedoes."

Anna laughed a little, nudging her friend lightly.

"You want to blow things up?" she teased gently.

"You can't tell me you _don't_," Sypha retorted, shaking her head a little. "Not with these two being idiots..."

Anna snickered a little, even as she shrugged in agreement.

Adrian had made some significant progress in accepting that Sypha was a real person, but he still remained on the fence about Trevor. What's more, he still remained on _edge_ about Trevor, though he wouldn't—or perhaps couldn't—say just why. Which generally tended to mean that he was civil, polite, and maybe just a little more sharp in his conversations with the other man than he was with the two women.

And Trevor responded in kind, despite being told multiple times that his sniping back was unhelpful. He seemed to take it rather personal that Adrian was warm and friendly to the women, and coolly neutral towards him, even after hearing the audio recording about how Scott had tried to kill him while Dr. Montblanc had been away.

"Well, there's no rule that says we all have to have the same mods," Anna pointed out. "If you want torpedoes, you should have them."

"I might just," Sypha sighed, and leaned affectionately on Anna. "I let Trevor mod the prawn suit. He's still made that you named it ShrimpBucket, you know."

Anna giggled, unrepentant.

"I'm sure the paint job doesn't help~"

Sypha snickered.

"Not really. I'm more impressed that he's _kept_ it."

"It's a gift, and he knows it," Anna said, giggling harder.

True, he'd been extremely annoyed when he'd _found_ it, but despite complaining about it, he hadn't actually tried to change it. She wouldn't have minded if he did, especially since he grumbled every time he went out in the prawn suit to get materials with the help of the drill arm, but it was touching that he'd let it stand.

"How do you think they're doing out there?" she asked.

"Hopefully?" Sypha sighed a little. "Better than they have been in here."

Anna nodded a little, amusement fading. Trevor had volunteered—grudgingly—to drill out some of the materials they were stockpiling in case of emergency; titanium and lithium for plasteel, quartz to replace glass, copper ore for batteries, the list went on. Some things could only be gathered in the shallows, but Trevor had elected to start with ores in the deep. And Adrian, having needed to go out and gather his own supplies, had somehow ended up going with him.

"Well, we haven't gotten a call on the radio yet, so I think we can assume they haven't tried to murder each other?" Anna offered.

"True. Though maybe one of us should have gone with them, just to be sure..."

"We can always try to catch up to them?" Anna said, though the idea didn't exactly thrill her. She'd wanted a day out of the water, which was why she'd decided to stay behind. "Though I think Trevor would fuss about us not trusting him, you know?"

"Hm... you may have a point. And if we're around to buffer, they won't stop acting like children."

Anna snorted a little, and got to her feet, stretching a little.

"Maybe A.. Mr. Tepes will decide Trevor's real like he did for you," she said as her shoulders popped gently. "That would be nice. It is exhausting to have that still hanging overhead."

"Agreed. Though I still think he harbors a few doubts."

"I think maybe he always will, all things considered," Anna said softly.

"Probably... Are you going to work on the room some more?"

Anna nodded; Adrian had ceded the bottom three floors to them as work-and-living space, but she'd been too distracted by other things to actually _make_ it liveable.

"I'm probably going to need to head up to the shallows soon," she said with a sigh. "We definitely don't have the materials for the softer parts of the beds, and if I can get some stalker teeth, we can put in a couple of windows so that it's not so..."

"Confining?" Sypha offered.

"Yes. That word."

"Are you going to wait for them to get back?"

"Mmmm..." Anna thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Bait's fast enough I think I can get up there and be back before they do. Especially since I know what I'm looking for and they're-"

The radio chirped.

"_...So... there might be a problem,_" Trevor drawled.

* * *

"It just came out of nowhere and cracked the seamoth practically in half with the first hit," he said, wincing a little as Anna put a bandage on the cut over his eye. "Tepes managed to get out and to a crack in the wall, but it was going after him hard."

"Okay, but getting out of the prawn suit and going after it with a _knife_, Trevor?!" Sypha exclaimed "That's just a bit crazy!"

Anna was inclined to agree, though she held her tongue. Sypha was angry enough for both of them, honestly, and yelling wouldn't make her feel any better.

"Did you even _consider_ using the prawn suit to fight back?!"

"The prawn suit doesn't have _weapons_ Sypha," he retorted, then winced as Anna carefully prodded his arm.

"It has a drill!" she shot back. "You could have used that!"

"Sypha..."

"_What?!_"

"Yell at him later," Anna said quietly. "I can't straighten the bone when he's all tensed up like this. If you need something to do, could you go retrieve the prawn suit? We're going to need it."

The other woman let out an explosive sigh, and stalked out of the room. Hopefully to get the prawn suit, which Trevor had _sworn_ was much more intuitive than the training implied.

_Sypha Belnades has left the habitat_.

"...you could yell at me too?" Trevor offered, hissing as Anna smeared on a topical anesthetic.

"Trevor, are you forgetting that I ran Bait headlong into that same ghost leviathan, and dumped my barrier charge into it?" she asked smiling wearily at him. "I really don't think me yelling at you would be fair. I'm just glad you chased it off and saved A... Mr. Tepes. _But_," and she sighed, moving around to carefully grip his hand, "this is going to put a damper on things. Bite down."

He grimaced, and planted his teeth in the strips of fiber mesh as she pulled, snapping the bone back into place with a discomforting crack-squelch noise. He made a noise in the back of his throat and swayed where he sat, but managed to stay upright as she snapped the woven titanium cast over his arm.

"Bones take a while to heal," she said, easing him back onto the med-bay bed. "You're lucky it was just your arm, but you're not going to be swimming, or piloting the Nautilus, for a few weeks. Madre de Dios, you and him both are going to give me an anxiety attack, I swear..."

Trevor smiled weakly, sweat standing out on his face.

"Sorry, Anna..."

She sighed, wiped the sweat from his forehead, then gave it a kiss.

"You stay put," she said sternly. "There were files on ingestible painkillers that could be made with the local plants, I remember that. I'll make you some, and then you should sleep."

"...will he be okay?"

Anna glanced over at the hyperbaric chamber where she'd had to put Adrian before he passed out.

"His vitals look like they've steadied," she said after a moment. "He _might_ need a transfusion. I'll know more in fifteen minutes."

He nodded a little, then squeezed her hand with his uninjured one.

"We're lucky you're here," he mumbled. "We really are."

"Hush. Try to rest. I'll be right back."

She gently freed her hand, stepping back slowly and watching as Trevor tried to lay still in a bed not quite sized for his frame. Any other time, it would have been amusing, but right now...

Anna moved into the second part of the med bay, pulling her data pad out as she approached the fabricator, and scrolling through all the medical options. Near the bottom was a painkiller that she hoped would help, and there were just enough deep mushrooms to make a full bottle.

As long as she kept moving and didn't think about what had almost happened, she could keep it together.

* * *

He came to slowly, hearing a familiar hiss of air. Usually he put himself in the chamber, but he had... vague memories of someone else doing it this time. Not Anna, but...

Trevor.

Adrian's eyes snapped open, and he pushed against the chamber door. Trevor had been injured, bleeding into the water, and one of his arms hadn't been working right. The air swept out into the med-bay with a soft whoosh as he convinced the chamber to open up, and he sat upright hastily.

A hand on his shoulder kept him from going very far, and he looked up into stern green eyes.

"Don't push it," Anna said firmly. "Trevor's fine. He's got a mild concussion, and broke his arm, but otherwise he's in better shape than you are."

"I'm," Adrian started to protest. Then swayed.

Anna helped him to lay back down, though she didn't reseal the chamber.

"I'm afraid your seamoth was destroyed," she said quietly as she pulled her stool over. "And you damaged your air tank yourself when you found your hiding place. The hoses are going to need replacing at the very least. You almost suffocated out there."

How much effort was this professional poise costing her, he wondered. Treating him like her patient instead of... well, he wasn't sure what they were, honestly, but definitely more than just acquaintances.

"Trevor managed to do some buddy breathing, and Sypha went out in Sashimi to bring you both in. He insisted you be looked after first, and put you in the chamber himself," and he saw a tiny smile cross her face, briefly easing the lines of tension. "The controls thwarted him, but fortunately, that's why I'm here."

"Will he be all right?"

"He will," and she nodded a little, a bit of tension leaking out of her frame at his question. "Probably dizzy and cranky for a few days, and annoyed that he's basically going to have to be passenger instead of driving the Nautilus, but he'll live, and he'll heal."

Adrian breathed out a quiet sigh of relief, covering his face briefly with one hand.

"Good. That's... very good," he said softly.

"Yes."

He heard the sound of the scanner as she swept it over him and its soft chirp as it gave her a reading on his current state. When she stood he let his hand drop and looked over at her.

"What's the prognosis?" he asked with a small smile.

"You're still coming down from what happened; I think you need another half an hour in the chamber," and she looked at him with a small, stern frown. "I'm going to give you a dose of your vaccine to boost your hemoglobin and the oxygen you'll get from it first."

"Have you had your own dose?" he asked.

"I'm fine, thank you," and there was a familiar tartness at the question... and a familiar evasiveness. "Once you're done in the chamber, you should go up and get some sleep in your bed."

"...Anna-"

"Mr. Tepes," she interrupted, eyes narrowing. "Once you've had some sleep, you can complain at me as much as you'd like, but you are in no position right now to be worrying about anyone other than yourself. Now stay put."

She was on her feet and across the room before he could even try to grab for her arm, and after trying to prop himself back up—and failing miserably—he reluctantly decided that maybe she was right.

But once he was breathing fine again, once his head wasn't swimming, he was going to get into her locker and see if she was actually telling the truth.

* * *

_Sypha Belnades has entered the habitat_.

Anna didn't look up from her data pad; mindlessly scrolling through all the research notes Adrian had given her access to had been a good way to keep the panic at bay. Besides, it would take time for Sypha to change out of her wetsuit and into the comfortable clothes they all preferred to wear while in a secure base.

It took an additional ten minutes before Sypha's head poked through the doorway, and Anna looked up, studying her friend carefully. Then she patted the spot next to her on the bench.

"Are they all right?" Sypha asked, coming to sit down and leaning on Anna a bit anxiously.

"They're fine," she replied soothingly. "Trevor's going to be in pain for a while, and that will make him cranky, but I was able to reset his arm, and there's no major brain swelling. I left him sleeping in the med-bay. Mr. Tepes is _also_ fine; I gave him an extra dose of his vaccine, and he was breathing better by the time he got out of the chamber the second time. He's up in his room, hopefully quite asleep as well."

Sypha let out a sigh of relief, and hugged Anna softly.

"Thank goodness."

"Mmhm. How's ShrimpBucket?"

The name did what it was supposed to, and brought a smile to Sypha's face.

"In one piece. I stored it in the Nautilus bay for now. Adrian's old seamoth is a complete write off, though. It'd be easier to just make him a new one..."

"Somehow, I'm not surprised," Anna shook her head a little. "It's going to take a few weeks for Trevor's arm to heal enough so that he can use it again. Was working the prawn suit hard?"

"No, he was right about that. I wouldn't say it's _intuitive_, but it's not so complicated that it'd take you or Adrian more than a few hours to learn. So we shouldn't be too set back if he gets impatient and decides we should go looking before he's all healed up."

Anna snorted a little.

"Well, for at least three weeks, he's going to be told no," she said firmly. "And if he gets grumpy about it, I'll... I'll _sit_ on him."

Sypha laughed.

"More likely he'll try and toss you over his shoulder for getting in his way," she teased.

Anna half-shrugged and smiled lightly.

"You should go ahead and get some sleep," she said, giving Sypha a gentle push. "Go give Trevor a good night kiss and go to bed."

"Will you go to bed too, if I give you a kiss?" Sypha asked.

Anna blushed a little, and smiled wryly.

"No, I... want to stay up just a little longer. Make sure everything is settled and secured."

"Hmph. Well, you'd better come curl up with me when you're done then," Sypha said, mock-threateningly. "I need someone to cuddle, you know."

Anna chuckled softly, nodding in agreement.

"Good," and Sypha seemed satisfied by that. "Then I think I _will_ go give Trevor a kiss goodnight. Don't stay up too much longer, okay?"

"I won't..."

Sypha snorted a little, and gave Anna another quick hug before leaving the room.

Anna waited an extra five minutes, then let out a long, tired sigh. Everyone was back, and in one piece. Banged up, maybe, in the cases of Adrian and Trevor, but alive was better than not. And since no one was around to see and fuss at her, she felt little embarrassment in pulling her knees up to her chest, and hiding her face in them while she shook.

Too close. That had been too close. She couldn't lose them now. _She couldn't._

* * *

Survivor's log, Anna Torres.

Trevor's so damn stoic it's frustrating. I know his arm hurts him, but he's trying to brush it off like it's nothing. On the one hand, him not taking the pain killers isn't a bad thing; I don't know how they'll interact with the vaccine. On the other... he's in pain. He's in pain and he's not letting me _help_.

Sypha's annoyed with him too, but he's just... being stubborn.

Ugh.

Much as I hate to admit it, though, we did get some positive progress out of the whole mess; Mr. Tepes is moderately convinced that both Trevor and Sypha are real. He spent some time sitting with Trevor earlier, though I don't know what they were talking about. But he was... relaxed. He even smiled.

I'm glad. Though I could have done without either of them being hurt.

I need to go up to the shallows as soon as Sypha wakes up from her nap. We're only minorly set back, so having everything we need when they're both back to normal again will be prudent. And it'll get me away from Mr. Tepes and his fussing.

...I appreciate it. I do. But I'm not the one he needs to worry about.


	17. Sixteen

Sixteen

"-Torres. Ms. Torres? _Anna_."

Anna jumped, looking up from the microscope and the blood sample in surprise.

"Oh. Mr. Tepes... sorry." she smiled sheepishly. "My mind was... far away. What did you say?"

He looked vaguely displeased, but after a moment only sighed.

"I was asking if you'd gotten a proper amount of rest recently, but I think I have my answer. You do know that you don't have to do... everything, yes? You can take the time to stop and rest."

"I've rested..."

It was defensive and she knew it the moment the words were spoken. There was a mix of humor and worry in his face as he moved to stand next to her, gently nudging her away from the microscope.

"Not recently or well," he replied. "You're either leaving the base to get things from the shallows, doing your best to entertain your cousin so that he doesn't exert himself before being fully recovered, getting things from the nearby areas, or here in the lab. None of those sound particularly restful."

"...lab work and sitting with Trevor aren't exactly what I would call eventful," she replied cautiously. "I haven't had to actually restrain him from doing something stupid yet."

Adrian snorted a little, ducking his head a bit as he smiled.

"The point being, Ms. Torres, that you are exhausted," he said gently. "Neither one of us is in any sort of danger right now. You could stand to get some sleep."

Sleep. As if.

Not to say that she hadn't _tried_; a tired doctor made mistakes, after all. But every time she closed her eyes, she saw Trevor with blood running down his face. Adrian with blue lips, barely breathing. And her imagination supplied worse images, of how much worse it could have gone, or if Sypha had been injured along with them.

"I'm fine," she said instead, doing her best to force a smile.

That made his own smile vanish, and he leaned into her personal space a bit more.

"Ms. Torres, you have some very dark circles under your eyes," he said quietly. "I understand having trouble sleeping after such an event, but if you keep this up, you're only going to make your infection worse."

The truth hung in the air between them. Anna looked away first.

"Fine," she grumbled. "I'll try and get some sleep."

She sensed more than saw the smile as she slid off the stool, but the air quickly changed when she had to grab the counter to keep her feet under her.

"...you are most certainly not climbing a ladder in this state," he said firmly, hands sliding under her elbows in support. "You'll slip and hurt yourself, and then Trevor will be upset."

"I can-"

"There are four ladders between you and the sleeping quarters, Anna," he said, and use of her first name startled her enough to go silent. "You may manage one or two, but you are in the state of exhaustion where four will simply be too much. It is no bother to me to let you sleep in my bed."

She flushed a little; that was a situation she'd been trying to avoid, and usually could just because she had a gift for being able to fall asleep pretty much anywhere... when she could sleep at all. True, it annoyed both Trevor and Sypha a bit when she ended up sleeping on a bench or in a chair instead of on a bed—either with one of them or alone—but sleep was sleep, whether it was comfortable or not.

He sighed a little, then shook his head lightly.

"Pardon me," he said.

Before she could ask what he meant, he'd picked her up. She squeaked, grabbing at his shirt out of nothing more than sheer reflex, as he moved across the room towards the short hallway that would lead to his bedroom.

"I understand that you do not necessarily want to have people spend their time or energy on you. In part, I even sympathize with it. But as I have told you, I am not going to stand by and watching another doctor work herself to death," and though the words were quiet, they were also sharp. "You need to rest, and you _will_ rest, if I have to lay on you to make you do it."

"I can walk!"

"No, Ms. Torres, you cannot. Because I'm not going to let you."

She spluttered a little, but the short hallway really _was_ short, and he gently deposited her on his bed before she could think of some sort of retort. It gave more than she expected when she tried to sit up, and she ended up falling sideways, rather gracelessly.

When she managed to disentangle herself from the pillow, she realized he'd moved a chair over and was sitting very pointedly in it... and he was between her and both exits.

"...you don't need to watch me," she said, uneasy now.

"I think I do," he replied mildly, folding his hands in his lap. "Because I think the moment I look away, you'll try to get up. If I thought perhaps Trevor or Sypha might need some rest, I would ask one of them, but they are both sleeping properly, and have no reason to lay down at this hour."

"...you're treating me like I'm five," she huffed.

"With respect, Ms. Torres, you're not doing much to change the impression."

She blinked at him, then slowly lowered herself onto the bed. He was right. She was acting like a tired child who wasn't willing to take her nap. She _felt_ like a tired child... but while she did want to take her nap, she wasn't entirely certain about what might happen if she did.

So she stared at the ceiling, wondering if maybe this would be enough to convince him to leave.

Instead, she heard a faint sigh; shifting to look at him, she watching surprise as he moved the chair closer, and picked up his data pad, flicking through some files with quick swipes of his fingers. Baffled and a bit curious, she rolled onto her side, subconsciously dragging the blanket over her.

"The year 1866 was signalised by a remarkable incident," he began, glancing up at her briefly, then back down at the data pad, "a mysterious and puzzling phenomenon, which doubtless no one has yet forgotten. Not to mention rumours which agitated the maritime population and excited the public mind, even in the interior of continents, seafaring men were particularly excited."

She listened in some surprise as he read aloud, occasionally glancing up at her as if to assess her awareness—which he probably was. His voice was smooth, modulating deftly as he turned virtual pages of the ancient story.

Despite her best attempts, the steady, rhythmic sound of his voice lulled her into relaxation... and finally, to sleep.

* * *

Adrian carefully set the data pad aside, and put the chair back in its original position. She was asleep now, which had been the whole goal, though he wondered if she would thank him for it later, or just be annoyed that he'd managed to successfully push her into looking after herself.

Quietly he slipped out of the room, going in search of one of the other two. He found Trevor first, just sitting in the observatory, wearing the sling Anna had insisted among to minimize movement.

He knew Trevor was real. He knew Sypha was real.

But he still hesitated for a long minute before walking down the small staircase into the observatory, and carefully sitting next to the other man.

"...don't suppose you got her to go to bed, did you?" Trevor asked idly.

"I did," Adrian replied. "With any luck, she may even forgive me for giving her no choice."

Trevor grinned a little.

"She will. Anna doesn't hold grudges."

"Not ever?" Adrian asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't think she knows how," Trevor replied, shrugging lightly. "She's been like that since we were kids; always wanting to take care of everyone else. Probably because her home was shit."

Adrian blinked, and shifted on the bench so that he could look at Trevor curiously. Again, Trevor shrugged, and seemed to contemplate something for several minutes before nodding.

"When I first met her, she was a scrawny seven-year old," he said quietly, not looking at Adrian. "My aunt and uncle didn't have any other kids, and while they never hit her, they didn't exactly treat her like she mattered. Or me, for that matter, but I was a bitter as fuck twelve-year-old, and I didn't actually care what they thought of me."

Now he looked at Adrian, and gave him a crooked smile.

"See, my folks were killed. Investigation said accident, but I still call bullshit. Thanks to the DNA register, they found me distant family in the neighboring trans-gov and shipped me off there."

"...to Anna and her family."

"Yup. It's sort of funny," and Trevor's smile went soft. "I did everything I could as a snotty twelve-year-old to try and get this little kid to leave me alone. Failed utterly. She knew all the hiding places, all the spots away from her family that she could stay in for hours. Showed me each and every one, and eventually I gave up, and let her follow me around. I definitely wasn't the best cousin I could have been..."

"So this stubbornness is... a typical trait then?"

Trevor laughed.

_"Oh_ yeah. She was always hellbent on taking care of people, and I had to discourage her a lot from trying to take care of the ones who would only make her life more difficult. I guess the infection kicked it up to eleven..." he shook his head lightly, combing his uninjured hand through his hair. "I guess it's good for her in some ways, though... Not the infection, but... being here, I suppose. She almost never took the lead before."

"I'm not sure she's taking the lead so much as trying to work out a way for everyone to stay alive," Adrian said dryly. "While thinking almost never about her own needs."

"Yeah, well," Trevor's smile and shrug were both rueful. "That's Anna. She'll make you take care of yourself, maybe even get a bit scary about it... well, scary for her, anyways. But no one ever tried to take care of her. So she doesn't know how to take care of herself."

Adrian nodded thoughtfully, then glanced sidelong at Trevor, who looked... a bit morose. Without really thinking about it, he shifted sideways until he was leaning on the other man.

"I doubt she blames you," he said quietly when Trevor startled. "You were only a child."

"I know," and Trevor sighed, cautiously leaning into the pressure of Adrian's shoulder. "And I was a little asshole of a child at that. But that doesn't mean I don't blame myself for not getting her out of there."

"Would she have gone if you'd asked?"

"...she might have. But I didn't think about it. Only barely tried to keep in contact as I bounced between trans-govs, taking an odd job here, a ship job there... Meeting again at Alterra was entirely a stroke of luck."

Alterra...

Adrian frowned a little, almost speculatively. How _was_ Alterra doing now, ten years down the road?

"May I ask you a question?" he said after a long minute of silence.

"Well, short of punching you, I probably wouldn't be able to stop you," and there was laughter, not threat in Trevor's voice. "But then Anna would be mad about me punching you."

"She'd probably be even more upset if I punched back," Adrian replied dryly.

Trevor snorted.

"So what's the question?"

"Assuming... there is a way to shut down the thermal plant. What comes next?"

"We get the stuff to make the rocket, and get the hell off this planet," Trevor replied immediately.

Adrian went very still. Leave? They would... leave?

"Not sure how we could get you out yet though," he continued, plainly failing to notice how still Adrian had gone. "But Anna and Sypha would both try to eat me if I suggested leaving you behind. Not that I would. You're... all right."

Adrian straightened slowly, feeling as though a hole had opened up in him, but he couldn't quite explain why that was.

"...you're all right too," he said finally. "For someone I thought was a hallucination."

There was a fundamental indefinable difference between Trevor and Scott, but some things were extremely similar. Like the habit of speaking without thinking.

Still, he hadn't _meant_ to be insulting, or to cause this feeling, and because of that Adrian did not flee at a rapid pace. He took his time getting up, and even stood there a moment, watching as a few Peepers swam before the glass before taking his leave.

His return to his room, however, was swift, and for perhaps the first time he didn't stop to wonder if what he was about to do would make Anna uncomfortable. He just slipped onto the bed, and wrapped an arm around her waist, curling up against her. She mumbled something and shifted not quite awake, but somehow now quite asleep either.

"...drian?" she mumbled

He hesitated, then nuzzled, just slightly.

"Yes," he said quietly, working to keep the quiver from his voice. "It's me."

"...kay..."

To his surprise she rolled over, tucking her head up against hie neck. Then she sighed, and he felt her relax again, back into sleep.

The ache in his chest eased a little, and he stroked her head softly, more than willing to keep laying there until she woke up.

* * *

"...he said _that?_" Sypha sighed, and reached over to smack her boyfriend lightly upside the head.

"What?" Trevor protested, ducking a second swat. "He _asked_ what the plan was."

Anna pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed in nothing sort of pure exasperation before she turned to Adrian.

"Trevor has this thing known as foot-in-mouth-disease," she said with just a hint of tartness. "Someday, it's probably going to be _terminal_."

Adrian looked away; he hadn't _meant_ for that to slip out, but Anna and Sypha in tandem had managed to drag it from him. Almost he regretted insisting Anna sleep; an alert and aware empathetic doctor was a force to be reckoned with.

"Even if we _can_ turn off the thermal power plant, there's no guarantee it'll shut off the weapon," Sypha said. "More importantly, this planet is under quarantine _because_ of its heavily infected state. Even with the gun off, leaving is out of the question without a cure."

Anna nodded firmly in agreement, then reached over and put a hand over Adrian's.

"If we succeed, you're coming with us," she said firmly. "And if we fail, we stay with you. It's that simple."

The idea of a cure wasn't too far-fetched... but he'd long since let go of that hope. He couldn't reach _her_.

"I... can't ask you to do that," he said softly.

"You're not asking anything," Sypha pointed out. "Those are the only options we're going to entertain."

"Sypha's right," Anna said with a small, firm nod. "Either we all get out, or we're all staying put."

He bowed his head slightly, curling his fingers loosely around hers.

"I mean, we could also always try to build the rocket now, and see if we get shot down," Trevor said. "Ow! It was a _joke!_"

"To be a joke, it must be funny, and _that wasn't_," Sypha snapped.

Adrian glanced up, feeling Anna shift, and saw the scowl on her face that was being directed at Trevor. He had the feeling that if she was just a bit closer, Trevor would have been hit _twice_.

"Look," Trevor raised his uninjured arm to fend off another swat, "the _point_ is you're not actually going to be left down here, and that wasn't what I was trying to say. The girls are right; when we leave, you're coming too, even if we have to like... make some blackout curtains or something to keep the sun off you."

Anna palmed her face with her free hand, but when she started to pull away, Adrian tightened his grip on her hand. She paused, looked at him for a long moment, then squeezed his fingers gently.

"We won't leave you behind," she said quietly. "I promise."

* * *

_These beings are... like you?_

Adrian lifted his head slightly, and smiled a little; so, this voice was back, despite there being humans here. Well, that was all right. He liked this voice. She had saved him many times from the unbearable emptiness that would hit him from time to time, and he didn't think they would mind too much if he still talked to a few of these voices.

Hopefully.

"They are," he replied. "Humans, like I am."

_Then they too suffer... as you do._

"Yes. But... the treatments that were made before my other friend... before she..." He cleared his throat after a moment. "They seem to be helping."

_That is... good. They will help you._

"They already are," Adrian said softly.

_Will you... come to me?_

"We're stalled for the moment due to... unanticipated injuries, but..."

_I shall... touch them. Encouragement._

There was something in the way she said it that made him think it might not be the wisest of ideas, but before he could figure out how to articulate it, he felt the peculiar emptiness that was the way she went silent.

She would touch them? How would she touch them?

* * *

"I'm not sure why I should be worried," Anna admitted as Sypha zipped her shipsuit back up. "Having people around isn't a magical fix it button, Sypha..."

"But... a lucid conversation to nothing there?" Sypha pressed. "That doesn't worry you even a small bit?"

"Well... yes," Anna sighed a little and ran a hand over her hair. "But Sy, he thought _we_ were hallucinations, and he was perfectly cordial and polite. And a few weeks of dealing with real people doesn't mean he's going to magically _stop_ hallucinating. He'll just... well, with luck, he'll ask if we see it too. Maybe he can use us as a measuring stick."

Sypha looked troubled by this, and fluffed her short hair in concern.

"What about the times when he's alone?" she asked quietly.

Anna sighed again and shrugged a little helplessly.

"Sypha, I'm not sure what you want me to say," she replied. "It's very likely that he'll _never_ stop seeing things, even if we can get him back to the trans-gov and have a licensed med-therapist turn on nanites to help adjust the chemical imbalances. It's just something we..."

She went quiet for a moment.

"Anna?" Sypha touched her arm lightly, gently. "Are you okay?"

"I..." Anna blinked hard for a moment, then shook herself. "Yeah. Sorry, my mind tripped for a second. What was I saying?"

Sypha studied her for a moment, then shook her head slightly.

"I don't know, it was your thought, not mine," she teased gently.

Anna scoffed a little, giving her friend a gentle shove.

"Go get me Trevor, please?"

"Sure."

Anna busied herself with carefully labeling the vial of blood she'd drawn from Sypha before turning and storing it in the fridge; while Adrian's equipment was ten years out of date, it still worked well enough to let her track the way the blood changed before and after every vaccine dose. Getting her own wasn't as easy as getting the others, however, and she was debating asking for help... though she knew if she did, Adrian would stand over her until she took the full dose of vaccine.

Then again, if he realized she was in here, he'd do that anyways. While she couldn't deny that the vaccine in full was beneficial, she still wasn't convinced she was the one who needed it most. Better to save it for Sypha or Trevor.

Especially Trevor...

"Time for some blood drawing?" he drawled as he stepped into the room.

"Mmhm," and she smiled at her cousin. "Don't worry, won't take long. I can also check your arm, see how its healing. Has it been hurting more?"

"Eh..." Trevor shrugged and sat on the exam table with a small grimace. "Off and on, but I can handle it."

She sighed a little, but didn't argue; while Trevor in pain was certainly far from ideal, she couldn't help but worry about how the deep mushroom painkillers would affect the kharaa. She preferred Trevor when he was cranky but normal, not when he was cranky and threatning.

"He _does_ sleep, doesn't he?" she asked, glancing up at Sypha who had decided to join them.

"Hey!"

"He sleeps," And Sypha grinned. "Like a log. A very heavy log."

Anna grinned wryly, nodding slightly in greeting as Adrian peered around the edge of the doorway as if curious to know what all the fuss was about.

"I am not a log," Trevor complained with a small, insincere huff. "Besides, you smack people in your sleep!"

"I do not!"

Anna snickered a little, rolling up Trevor's sleeve to get at a good vein.

"You kind of do," Adrian put in, his soft voice amused. "So it's a good thing he sleeps so heavy."

Sypha turned and huffed at him too. Anna's snickered evolved into giggles, and she caught Trevor's smirk as she turned to get the pieces she would need to do a blood draw.

Then things fuzzed. A shape built itself up over her sight, blurring the room around her. When it snapped into being it did so with enough force that she yipped, and stumbled backwards, tripping on her own stool. A strong arm caught her, and kept her from connecting to the cabinet; she could just make out Adrian's blond hair beyond the edges of the shadowy creature and its vibrant blue eyes. _Multiple_ blue eyes, the same sort of bioluminescent as many of the deep water plants.

Nor was she the only one seeing it, if the startled swearing from Trevor and Sypha were any indication.

_Come... to me._ Was the quiet, deep voice that rang in her mind. _Want to... _help_ you._

She was engulfed. Drowning, almost, in a mind so vast, so beyond her understanding that she tried to push it away on reflex alone.

_I can give you... what you seek. If you find me..._

With another snap, this one practically audible, the creature let her go, and dissipated.

Anna blinked repeatedly, shivering with unanticipated—not to mention unneeded—adrenaline that now had no outlet, and found herself half-clinging to Adrian. Of all of them, he was the only one who looked... perturbed instead of startled.

"What... the _fuck._ Was that," Trevor asked after a long, silent moment.

"It... was a mind?" Sypha was shivering too, leaning hard against the wall. "It... it was so..."

"You all... heard her then?"

Adrian's voice was cautious, and when Anna looked up at him, he seemed to be assessing them all, one at a time.

"You know what that _was_?" Trevor demanded, leaning forward instantly. Then back as he wobbled on the bed. "...whoa..."

"...Mr. Tepes?" Anna swallowed a couple of times, finally getting her feet under her, though she didn't move away from the supporting arm. "...what just happened?"

* * *

"You've been talking to this thing for _years_?" Trevor asked, incredulous.

"In my defense, I've spoken to a great number of things over the years that I can't say for sure are real or not," Adrian replied. "I'm as surprised as you are that she spoke to you."

They'd been too shaken up to continue with the medical exam, so he'd urged them to the lounge, and gotten them all something hot to drink. Anna was still holding the cup in a stunned silence that worried him, but both Sypha and Trevor were animated enough.

"What did it mean?" Sypha asked with a small, speculative frown. "It wants to help us? Help us with what?"

"It said," and they all startled as Anna finally spoke, "that it could give us what we sought if we found... If we found her."

"What we seek?" Trevor snorted a little. "We're _seeking_ the damn thermal plant to cut the power!"

"No," Anna shook her head a little. "We're _seeking_ a _cure_."

Trevor scowled a little, but Sypha nodded.

"She's right, Trevor," she said. "Even if we turn the weapon off, we can't leave. Not while we're still infected. It wouldn't be right."

"So, what, do we not look for the thermal plant then? Do we table one search for another?" He pressed. "Which one should be the priority here?"

Anna paused, and pulled out her data pad. Adrian watched narrowly as she flicked through her files, eventually reaching the one she wanted.

"...there's a containment facility made strictly for one of the creatures they were studying, the sea emperor," she said after a moment. "It's at about the same depth as the thermal plant. It may be they're the same thing."

"So if we find one, we'll find the other?" Sypha asked.

"Hopefully, yes."

A cure. What a strange... almost _novel_ thought. What would a cure even feel like? Could he _be_ cured after living this half-life of infection for so long? Would the changes the kharaa had made to him even _let_ him be cured?

A shoulder butted up against him on the left, making him startle. Another hit him on the right, and he blinked, glancing quickly in both directions. Sypha and Trevor had moved to sit next to him, apparently having elected to squish him in the middle. When he glanced up, he saw a tiny smile on Anna's face, but the emotion behind it was so complicated as to be confusing.

He shivered, just a little. As if responding, Sypha looped her arm around his waist, and Trevor's arm came to rest around his shoulders.

"We can take our time," Sypha said in quiet encouragement. Then she grinned. "We kind of have to, since our primary prawn suit pilot can't _pilot_."

Trevor snorted a little.

"It's only for a few more weeks. Right?" And he glanced over at Anna, who had returned to studying her data pad. "Anna?"

"Hm? Oh, yes. Though I'll know for sure once we pick up your exam again," and she smiled fleetingly before returning her attention to the pad.

Something about the way she was holding herself had him wanting to reach out and pull her in too, but she was across the table. Out of reach.

"...Anna, get over here and have a hug," Trevor said with a small snort.

"I'm fine, Trevor, thanks."

Trevor made a slight scoffing sound, but Anna didn't even look up. After a moment, he lightly nudged Adrian with his elbow, and tapped Sypha on the head. Adrian glanced at him curiously, and Sypha leaned around. Trevor gave them both a grin.

"Let's get her~"

"I'm sitting _right here_, Trevor," Anna said, her tone just a hint foreboding. "I can _hear_ you."

"Well, if you're not going to come get a hug, the hug will come to you," he replied reasonably.

Adrian stifled a soft laugh as Anna's head came up and she eyed them all with trepidation. He rather like this idea.

"...you'd do it too," she grumbled, putting the data pad down.

"Yup~ So pleased you noticed."

"...fiiiiine. But you have to come back with me so we can finish your exam."

Trevor smirked.

"You'll get hugs first, I think I can live with that."

It was interesting watching how she interacted with him. The fond exasperation, and the laugh that almost seemed to surprise her as she gave in and got up. Her eyes flicked over them, and he saw that undefinable emotion briefly cross her face again before being buried.

"Where do I fit?" she asked.

There was a tone to it that he wondered if Trevor heard. Though to be certain, he wasn't really sure _he_ did either... perhaps he was projecting.

But Adrian lifted his hand and offered it to her anyways. Partially because watching her go shy made him smile, but also because where else but with them did she belong?

* * *

Survivor's log, Anna Torres

Note to self; don't let Mr. Tepes follow me into the labs any more. He's much too pushy.

...that said, the idea of a cure, of leaving... it seems to scare him more than a little. I suppose I can't blame him; we've only been infected for a few months, he's been infected for years. He's also adapted to the pressure and the darkness of living in this cave system.

Will a cure that works on us, with the standard infection and its typical signs, even work on him? The synthesized blood he needs now, and the extra pressurized oxygen... will he be able to have a more ordinary diet again?

Ugh. I have too many questions and no answers.

Trevor's arm is healing slower than I'd like thanks to the kharaa. It may be that we have to get Mr. Tepes to pilot the Nautilus at the least, if Trevor's going to be impatient about us looking for the thermal plant. Sypha's volunteered to try and learn how to work the prawn suit. She said she wants a couple of days to practice, so I might be able to coax Mr. Tepes into practicing with the Nautilus.

I'm almost afraid to try. But.

Holding patterns can't last forever.

Maybe it's time to break out of mine.


	18. Seventeen

Seventeen

"You're doing fine, Mr. Tepes. Pull up just a little bit."

Adrian glanced sidelong at her, though he maintained his somewhat tight grip on the steering mechanism of the Nautilus. He had been fairly certain this wasn't the wisest of ideas, but she had basically bribed him into a compromise; she would take the proper amount of vaccine, without fighting him on it, if he would come into the Nautilus and see if he could remember how it worked.

It was _hard_ being on the bridge, even if the memories were dimmed, softened by time and the timelessness he'd been living in. He fumbled with half-remembered controls, and wondered if perhaps a newer model like they had access to might not have been better.

Not that he could blame them for wanting to be thrifty with the materials on hand. Resources were not infinite, and husbanding them was probably the wiser course of action.

It was just... difficult to walk by Liesse's locker, to see her name on the door, and not wonder where she had gone, what had happened to her. To look at Scott's and remember the feeling of...

"Mr. Tepes? Mr. Tepes, pull up!"

He startled, and looked up as Anna pulled the steering mechanism upwards; the Nautilus jolted a little, and he winced as rocks scraped the underside.

It was a very good thing they weren't too far from the base...

"...my apologies," he said as the sub slowed to a halt. "I... I am..."

She laid a hand on his arm, and he looked down at her.

"It's okay," Anna said reassuringly. "I can't imagine how difficult this is, so I want you to know that it's okay if we need to stop, no matter how much or how little time has passed."

He took in a breath, then let it out slowly. He managed a small smile at the concern on her face.

"You'll still take your proper dose?" he teased gently.

She huffed, but he saw a bit of relief flickering through her eyes, and he was very sure she was trying not to smile.

"I already said I would, Mr. Tepes. I won't go back on it if you need time to adjust."

He nodded a little, admittedly relieved.

"_Everything all right out there?_" Trevor asked, radio crackling gently.

"Yes. We hit a rock. No damage," Anna replied, turning away from him.

"_A rock? Are you sure you should let him drive?_"

"I mean, you were no better when we first powered her up," Anna retorted, moving over to the radio so that she didn't have to raise her voice as much to be heard.

Adrian watched her for a moment, then shifted slightly, pulling back on the steering mechanism while letting the sound of the two of them bantering back and forth soothe him. Turning with care, he pushed forward, then winced as something pinged off the exterior. He had pushed down too, apparently.

This was definitely _not_ as simple as he'd hoped it would be.

* * *

"Please, Trevor, it's not like you _really_ did any better," Sypha snorted, flicking him gently on the forehead.

"I didn't break the camera," Trevor huffed, shifting his head to be slightly more comfortable.

"There weren't cameras to _break_," Anna replied absently tapping idly through her files. "We had to replace them, remember? You almost broke the keel instead."

Adrian chuckled a little, leaning comfortably back against Sypha's legs. She had _insisted_ he sit between her and Trevor, but there wasn't quite enough room on the bench with Trevor half-sprawled over his girlfriend's lap. So he was sitting on the floor in front of them, which allowed him to reach Anna's chair too, if he wanted.

"...I did not. And anyways, I replaced it."

"Only because you cracked it so badly that we had to actually _tow_ the Nautilus," Sypha said, grinning at him. "In comparison, breaking a camera isn't so bad."

Anna snickered from her spot as Trevor grumbled a little. Adrian wasn't entirely sure if he'd just been complimented or insulted, but it was... fun either way.

Sypha's hand slowly dragging through his hair didn't feel half bad either.

"What are you doing over there anyways?" Trevor asked, lifting his head slightly off of Sypha's lap.

"Making a list," Anna replied without looking up. "We don't know for certain where the thermal plant is other than down. We might be away from any base for more than a few days. I want to make sure we're prepared and don't need to come back when we finally decide to go."

"Okay, but you've got the broken one there too," Trevor pointed out. "Are you trying to get more from it?"

Anna just made a noncommittal noise, piquing Adrian's curiosity.

"A broken what?"

"It's nothing," Anna said, her tone quiet, but with a note of finality.

He didn't like it, but her tone suggested she wasn't going to talk about it. Trevor, on the other hand, snorted.

"It's a broken data pad I found when we first found Jellybase," he said.

"Trevor..."

"What?" He looked over at Anna and raised his eyebrow. "It's not like he can't see it through the table."

Anna just looked at her cousin for a long moment, then picked up her data pad and the broken one, and left the room. Trevor propped himself up on his elbows in surprise.

"...what'd I say?" he asked a bit plaintively.

Sypha sighed, and gently smacked him on the head.

"Sometimes, I really wonder why I like you," she said as he mock-winced.

Adrian shifted around to watch them in amused curiosity.

"Because I'm insufferably handsome~?" Trevor grinned a little.

"Well, you've got the insufferable part right," Sypha huffed, clearly fighting a smile. "You might need to work on the handsome bit."

"Oh, so cruel," and he put his good hand over his heart as he dropped his head back onto her lap. "Just stab me through the heart, why don't you, it'd certainly be faster."

"What, and get blood all over the base? It might be faster to feed you to something out there~"

"Would you keep even a piece of me so I'd be remembered?"

Sypha laughed.

"I don't know, it might depend on what I could feed you to, and if it left me any scraps~"

They were clearly playing, and on one level, it was amusing to watch, but on another Adrian was starting to feel a bit... uncomfortable. They seemed to have forgotten he was there...

And he was curious as to why bringing up the data pad might have upset Anna, so after a moment more, he smoothly got to his feet and followed after her.

* * *

Anna muttered irritably under her breath as she set up the data pad for notes again. It wasn't like Trevor _meant_ to be a jerk, but sometimes she dearly wished he would think, and take the occasional verbal hint.

After a moment she sighed, and let the irritation go. He didn't know why she wouldn't want to talk about it in front of Adrian; she'd never said anything about it. Being annoyed over the situation was pointless.

She was anyways, but that was mostly because she'd been stuck in rather close quarters as of late. If not for that rotten derelict, she could have slipped away to gather materials on her own for a few hours, or gone up the the surface to have some space while Trevor was stuck in the base. But she didn't trust that it wouldn't come after her again... and bring more trouble with it than just some broken ceiling.

She started to turn to the microscope when she felt something rather... _damp_ wrapping around her leg. Startled she pulled away, and looked down to see...

"...Squishy?"

The cuddlefish blinked up at her and grinned a little, then started climbing up her leg. She was too surprised to stop it, and it was quickly at waist height, leaving a trail of dampness as it worked its way up. When it got up to where its head was level with her face, it promptly headbutted her with enough force to make her sit down on the stool. Then it chirped as though it had done something right, and squeezed with all its tentacles.

Bewildered and not entirely sure what she ought to be doing, Anna carefully raised a hand and patted the cuddlefish on the head.

"Are you _supposed_ to be out here?" she asked after a long minute. "I thought you were a water breather, not an air breather."

It chirped at her again, and wiggled in a manner that seemed honestly quite cheerful. Then it headbutted her again and she yipped as she slipped off the stool.

Fortunately, she didn't fall very far, though it surprised her to be caught. She looked up and found Adrian smiling in genuine amusement as he helped her to sit back up.

"It seems as though it feels it's not being given the correct amount of attention," he said, his tone genial. "This happens from time to time."

"Oh... I see..." she replied weakly, squeaking a little as Squishy elected to snuggled up under her chin. "Um... how... did it get out, Mr. Tepes?"

"Oh, it's known how to get out ever since I left it alone in the tank for the first time," he admitted, chuckling softly. "There have been entire weeks where it's only returned to the tank to sleep, and otherwise insisted on following me about. It must have decided that since you three seem to be here to... to stay," and she heard the slightest hitch of his voice, "it was time to convince you to come and play in the tank."

"But.. the kharaa," she protested.

"I regularly put some of the pure enzyme in the water," he replied, carefully squeezing her shoulder. "So far, it seems to have worked to keep the symptoms at bay."

"...so that's why its never shown signs of infection." After a speculative moment, she smiled. "And here I thought you just had some sort of excellent filtration system."

Adrian chuckled, lowing his head slightly to bump against hers, much more gently than the cuddlefish had, but with the same sort of affection. Squishy promptly turned its attention to him, and rewarded him with a headbutt.

Anna giggled as Adrian shook his head slightly.

"You get used to it eventually," he said dryly. "I expect it'll try and track down the other two at some point... though perhaps now would not be the appropriate time."

"Oh dear... are they arguing?"

"...well, I suppose you could call it that and not be inaccurate, but..."

She looked at him for long moment, then half-smiled in understanding.

"Oh. They're doing _that_ kind of arguing. I suppose I'll stay up here for a while, then. Let them get it out of their systems."

Adrian coughed slightly, looking maybe just the faintest bit embarrassed, then chuckled a bit as the cuddlefish moved until it could hang off them both.

"...good thing we have spare clothes," she said after a moment, studying the damp patches in mild resignation.

"I was wearing my old wetsuit rather religiously for a week once," he replied wryly. "A week _after_ it stopped tracking me down, mind you."

Anna blinked, then giggled.

"That sounds uncomfortable. Then again, wearing wetsuits for a prolonged period of time usually is."

Absently she rubbed her arm; while the cysts were smaller, and not glowing as brightly since she'd taken the first proper vaccine she'd had in a while, they still bothered her when she wore the reinforced dive suit.

"Do they feel any better?" Adrian asked.

"...some," she said after a moment. "They ache a bit, but there's not much to be done about that except take care how I move. It's a bit worse after taking off the wetsuit-oop."

Squishy had headbutted her again without warning; fortunately, Adrian's arm was still secure around her waist, and he was able to keep her from moving too far. She caught a faint sound from him, almost a huff of a laugh, and huffed back.

"It's not funny," she said.

"It kind of is," he replied, smiling at her.

She stuck out her tongue, though her attempt at turning towards the microscope was thwarted by the way the cuddlefish tentacles were wrapped. Adrian chuckled softly, moving slightly, and started trying to pry them off.

"What were you working on?"

"Sample analysis," she replied as Squishy responded to the attempt by squeezing tighter. "I've been... tracking the changes."

"Ah..."

Squishy chirped at both of them this time, then seemed to be satisfied and abruptly dropped away. Anna yelped, reflexively trying to catch it before it hit the ground, and was rewarded with tentacles wrapping around her arm while Squishy hung upside down, its head cradled in her other hand. Adrian's sigh sounded a _lot_ like a suppressed laugh again, but he was a bit quicker to work at unwinding the little thing from her arm.

Which she appreciated, because its grip was tight enough to actually hurt.

It seemed to take this as an invitation to latch on to Adrian instead, finally, and flowed up his arm until it could give him another headbutt. Anna rubbed her arm surreptitiously, then scooted just slightly away. She could survive damp clothes, honestly, and the cuddlefish _was_ adorable...

But there was work to be done, and she was inclined to do it.

She couldn't tell if Adrian was just trying to give her some space, but she felt it rather keenly when he moved away from her; the warmth of him faded, and she took a quick glance over her shoulder to see that he had elected to engage the cuddlefish in some sort of treat-finding game that had it crawling all over his arms and pushing through his hair to try and find some sort of small edible.

She had to look away quickly; that warm smile on his face was not for her.

As she put her eye to the scope, and let the peculiarities of kharaa-riddled blood draw her in, she lost track of her surroundings. It wasn't until Adrian tapped her gently on the shoulder, making her startle, that she realized how effectively she'd tuned him out.

"You've been sitting there for a couple hours," he said as she straightened with a wince. "Perhaps it's time for a break."

"...probably," she agreed... though it was more because if she didn't, Adrian would start fussing.

He surprised her then by handing her a cup of tea, and she blinked at him curiously as he pulled over a stool of his own.

"Where's...?"

"Got tired of the game, went back to the containment," he replied with a small smile. "It'll probably come back out tomorrow if we're not careful."

"I can't tell if that's a warning or a threat."

He chuckled, leaning forward slightly. Something in his face, in his eyes, made her lean back, ever so slightly. Whatever he was about to ask, she wasn't sure she was going to want to answer.

"Are you feeling better now?"

It wasn't the question she'd half-expected, and that made her fumble a little. Stalling, she sipped at the tea, then nodded a little.

"I'm fine, Mr. Tepes. Why?"

"You seemed... upset. I was concerned."

"Mn..." she sighed a little. "It's just close quarters. That's all. I need... a little space. Time to myself. You know? I love Trevor, but... well, even someone you love can drive you a bit up the wall at times."

Adrian studied her for a moment, then nodded.

"If you need to leave for a while..."

"I... I might. I don't know. I feel like I shouldn't, because someone needs to keep an eye on Trevor so that he doesn't do something stupid."

"Ms. Torres," and he smiled faintly. "There are two other people in the base. You don't need to hover quite so much."

Anna blushed, and ducked her head a bit. It was nice that he was acknowledging Sypha and himself as able to sit on Trevor if he needed it, but it was also a bit embarrassing. Nor was she giving him the whole truth, but she didn't want to talk about the derelict.

"I know... I just don't like the idea of being far away if something else happens."

He leaned forward, and very lightly placed a hand on her shoulder.

"While not medically trained, I do have more than enough equipment and rudimentary knowledge to prevent any major disasters," he said gently. "If you need to go to the surface and feel the sunlight on your skin, you should do it."

Sunshine. And fresh air, not the recycled and filtered kind. The stiff sea breeze...

His hand touched her face, tipping her chin up gently.

"You need to see the sun," he said firmly. "In the morning, you should go up to the surface."

* * *

Hearing the waves instead of feeling them. The rush of the sea against the shore. The soft cries of the sky rays as they wheeled over the island.

Anna tipped her face into the sea breeze as she sat on the hilltop over the cave that would take her to the other island and took in a long, slow breath.

Solitude. Blessed, comforting solitude.

She couldn't stay up for very long, but a few hours... no, a few hours wouldn't hurt.

* * *

"Do you think I did the right thing?" Adrian asked quietly.

"Yes," Sypha said firmly, running the brush through his hair. "She's been working too hard, trying to take care of Trevor _and_ you while not taking care of herself. So it's about time she got a little peace and quiet."

"I'm not _that_ bad," Trevor protested mildly.

"You can get very annoying when you want to be, Trevor," Sypha retorted. "Or even when you don't. Besides, she got like this on the ship too."

"She did?"

Sypha nodded.

"She'd never kick me out of the cabin, but she would sometimes vanish for a few hours. If she was _really_ needed, she'd show up, but otherwise," Sypha shrugged lightly, and Adrian felt her tugging at his hair lightly with her fingers. "You know, it's entirely not fair that your hair is as nice as it is."

He chuckled a little, and shrugged lightly.

"It's always been... decently manageable. Events surrounding it, notwithstanding."

"Un. Fair," she sighed. "You and Anna both."

Adrian smiled a little; he rather liked Anna's hair with its shades of red and orange among the soft brown. It was a shame she kept it tied back, but it was understandable too. Between the salt water and the stress, it was probably too much effort to take care of on her own.

"I'm going to have to make her sit down and do her hair too, once she gets back," Sypha continued. "I don't think she's let it down in _weeks_."

"Her hair does that... poof thing," Trevor pointed out with a snicker. "She hates it."

"Well, it needs to be brushed anyways," Sypha said with a firm nod that Adrian felt more than he saw. "If she won't do it, I will."

"That does sound mildly threatening," Adrian said with a soft chuckle. "Are you going to back her into a corner over it?"

"Yes. Yes I am."

Trevor laughed.

"I want to watch that," he said with a grin. "Too bad there's no popcorn, because it'll be quite a show."

"Trevor, if you had popcorn, she'd probably dump the bucket on your head," Sypha replied dryly. "That's _rude_."

"I've been called worse."

Adrian shook his head a little, carefully as Sypha still had her hands in his hair. If nothing else, time with these two was never dull. It was also never _quiet_, and he could see why Anna might have needed some actual alone time.

"There was this one time..."

* * *

The sun was setting. It was time to go back down.

Anna stretched as she stood, shaking out her arms slightly before sticking them back into the wetsuit and zipping it back up. The pressure made her wince slightly, and wish she could wear something just a _bit_ looser... but the reinforcement of the dive suit made it the smartest option, no matter the depth.

She padded down to the cove, and slid into the water, going under the base foundation to where the moon pool, and Bait waited.

She hadn't been _entirely_ unproductive; using the seaglide, she'd gone over to the kelp beds and collected some stalker teeth from her friendly one—she was still kind of amazed that it would bring her dead kin to take the teeth from—as well as some creepvine seeds and fronds to make fiber mesh. They'd been mostly lucky so far, with Trevor's broken arm currently being the worst injury, but it never hurt to be over-prepared with bandages.

It was sad to leave the sunlight behind, but... she was looking forward to going back. She could present Trevor with the stalker teeth, probably be teased about having a 'pet' again, and get back to work with a clearer head.

It was second nature now to head by Jellybase, and she paused for a moment just to admire the pink jellyshrooms and watch the crabsnakes as they chased fish around. Despite the damage caused by the fallen stalactite, the base itself remained in one piece... and the new med-bay really stood out against the bulkheads that reinforced the rest of it. She shook her head with a small, rueful smile; it had been good to fix it, to have a base down deep, but maybe Trevor _had_ been right and they should have just built new.

Ah well. Too late to worry about now.

She pushed onward, heading for the beacon that marked the way down, then pulled back on the controls in alarm, bringing Bait to a swift halt.

The derelict sat there, between her and the entrance. Her datapad pinged, and she had just enough time to see that the audio file was titled 'Can't ignore me forever, bitch' before a crabsnake hit the side of Bait. She swore, hitting the button that would discharge the shield into the crabsnake's face, and moved Bait backwards to avoid a follow through.

"What do you even _want_?" she demanded, glaring at the wrecked sub. "_Mierda!_"

It was good that the cavern was too small for that ghost leviathan, but the crabsnakes were out en masse now, and she was apparently the target. She was going to need some help, loathe as she was to ask for it.

"...I really hope someone's sitting by the radio," she muttered, toggling the switch before hitting the shield discharge button again. "Sypha, Trevor, Mr. Tepes, do you read me? I think I'm in more than a bit of trouble..."

* * *

Radios had been put in every major room, one of the things Trevor had _insisted_ upon once it became clear that they would be staying for the foreseeable future. Adrian was now rather glad he'd let it happen, as there would have been no way of hearing his one radio from the lounge.

Trevor was on his feet in an instant with Anna's voice, and Sypha was not far behind. Anna's voice held urgency... and maybe a little bit of fear.

"We hear you, Ms. Torres," Adrian said. "Are you hurt?"

"_No, not yet-_" there was a crashing sound, and for a moment the radio cut out. "_-but they're doing a really good job of trying!_"

"Anna, what's going on?" Trevor demanded.

"_I'm being ganged up on by the crabsnakes! I just-_" static again, though they could hear the faintest of swearing between the sharp pops and hisses, "-_came out of nowhere!_"

"Can you get away?" Sypha asked, her hand on Adrian's shoulder squeezing anxiously.

"_I'm _trying!"

"Keep dodging and zapping, we're coming to get you," Adrian said, getting to his feet.

"Damn right we are," Trevor growled.

"_Trevor, don't you _d-"

There was a new sound then, almost lost in the crash of a crabsnake hitting the seamoth. The radio cut out into hissing static, and then a loud pop, followed by yet another crash.

"Anna? Anna!"

Trevor swore and pushed away from the radio, whirling on his heel. Adrian caught him by the elbow, just above the braided titanium cast, and pulled him back.

"There are only two seamoth in residence," he said quietly, "and someone needs to stay with the radio."

Trevor's good hand balled into a fist, and for a moment Adrian wondered if he was going to be punched. Then Sypha put her hands on Trevor's other arm.

"He's right. I know it's not fair, she's your cousin, but you can't use a seamoth right now without reinjury Trevor. You _know_ how she'd feel about that."

It was still a clear struggle, but after a few moments, Trevor nodded. He clearly didn't like it, but he nodded anyways.

"All right. Adrian, Sypha, you two take the seamoth and get her. I'll... be here."

Adrian put his hand on Trevor's shoulder and squeezed slightly, then darted off to change. Sypha joined him in the moon pool, nodding at him briefly before she dove into the water. There was only room for one seamoth in his pool, and she was letting him have it...

He vaulted into Sashimi and flicked the radio on even as the moon pools robotic arms dropped him into the water.

"Anything?"

"_Not yet,_" Trevor said. "_Her pod's taking a beating though._"

"_Where is she?_" Sypha demanded, scudding up on Adrian's left.

"_She mentioned crabsnakes, so I'm guessing she's around Jellybase_," Trevor replied.

Adrian pushed down his unease at the idea of going back there; Anna was in trouble, possibly hurt. He wasn't just going to _leave_ her there.

Sypha shot off, and he kept himself close behind.

"Please be okay," he murmured, too quietly to be picked up by the radio.

* * *

Anna finally managed to get her rebreather on, coughing and choking on the water she'd breathed unintentionally when the warper had all but yanked her out of Bait's seat. The radio gave her nothing but hisses of static, pops of electronic noise that did nothing to help her hear what her friends were saying... if they were speaking at all, even.

Disoriented, and still fighting for a proper breath, she spun in the water, trying to find Bait. Instead, she managed to attract the attention of one of the crabsnakes, which came flying at her through the water. The dodge she managed was only partial, and she yelped as the crabsnake's claw hit her leg, tearing through the dive suit, and gouging deep into the muscle.

Anna swore profusely, but the pain managed to clear her head enough that she caught sight of the hatch entrance of Jellybase, not more than a few meters away.

Getting there, however, was going to be the trick. Because that crabsnake was turning around, and looking like it was going to come at her again.

Teeth first.

* * *

As they zipped over the last lip of rock, they spotted several warpers, as well as a handful of crabsnakes swimming around rather angrily at random.

"_What are _they_ doing here?_" Sypha demanded.

"_What?_" Trevor asked.

"There appears to be a large concentration of warpers in the area," Adrian replied, peering ahead to try and spot Anna or Bait. "And the crabsnakes are _very_ agitated."

"_Do you see Anna?_"

"_I found Bait!_" Sypha announced. "_A bit banged up, but in one piece. Anna's... not inside._"

Adrian felt his heart constrict; not again. He couldn't have lost another doctor so soon. Not again. He couldn't...

"_There! I see her!_"

He snapped his head up, turning Sashimi to follow Sushi's line of sight, and sucked in a sharp breath.

"Oh that's not good."

"_What, what?!_"

"_She's... she's bleeding. We're going to have to take her into the base,_" Sypha said, her voice trembling slightly.

Adrian firmly ignored the skittering of nerves that crawled down his spine, instead zipping Sashimi in closer to Anna.

"_You get her into the base_," Sypha said quickly. "_I'll chase off the crabsnake._"

"Understood."

Sypha darted Sushi up, a torpedo launching from its port as Adrian maneuvered Sashimi closer to Anna. She lifted a hand, pressing it against Sashimi's glass as he scooted up to her.

"...she can't swim on her own, and she doesn't seem strong enough to hold on even for a few meters," Adrian said, shifting. "I'm going to leave Sashimi here, and I'll get her into the base."

He slid out of the seamoth, and caught Anna around the waist as she sagged against the glass, looping her arms around his neck. He felt her arms tighten slight, and he struck out as fast as he could to the base.

* * *

"What _happened_?!" Sypha demanded as she stalked into the med-bay, yanking off her rebreather.

"I don't know," Anna replied, wincing in pain as Adrian carefully set another stitch. "They just... I don't know."

"How did you end up outside of Bait?" Sypha pressed.

"I... I think I got warped?" Anna gasped softly, and tightly gripped Sypha's hands when they were offered to her. "I don't know where they came from either, they were just suddenly th-_there. Mn!_"

"I'm sorry," Adrian murmured sympathetically. "Not much more."

Anna just clung to Sypha's hands and tried to remember how to breathe properly. Stitching without anesthetic was _not_ fun.

"Trevor's going to have fun scolding you for this," Sypha said with a small smile.

"It's not _my_ fault," Anna huffed, then hissed. "I wasn't reckless. I got _jumped_."

"Do you think that's really going to matter?"

"...no..."

Adrian chuckled slightly, carefully tying off the last stitch, then taped a bandage in place.

"We'll let you store Bait in the moon pool," he said. "That way Trevor can help you out when you get back."

"...how badly damaged it Bait?" Anna asked, carefully turning over.

"Not badly," Sypha replied, helping her sit up. "A few dents, maybe some torn wires. Cracked glass at the worst, but it should hold as long as you don't go too fast."

She nodded, and tried to slide off the exam table; Adrian and Sypha both caught her before her injured leg could buckle under her.

"Walking, however, is out of the question," Adrian said a little dryly. "Sypha, could you bring Bait to this moon pool?"

"Of course."

Sypha helped Adrian get Anna back onto the exam bed before he left the room. Anna shifted, carefully propping her injured leg on the bed, then leaned on Adrian's offered shoulder, shivering intermittently.

_Sypha Belnades has left the habitat_

"Are you sure you're well?" he asked softly, his arm sliding around her waist. "Not.. physically, but..."

"I'm... I'm okay," she replied. "Shaken up, I won't deny that..."

His arm tightened slightly, and she squeaked a little, bringing her hand up to press against his chest.

"Ah... my apologies," he murmured. "I... I was..."

"It's... it's okay. I'm sorry I scared you."

He sighed quietly, then laid his cheek on her head.

"That is not your fault. Though..." he hesitated. "It is unfair of me to ask, I suspect, but would... that is, may I remain next to you when you sleep?"

"Ah..."

Anna blushed, then nodded a little shyly. She felt some of the tension leak out of him, and he turned slightly to better hold her.

"Okay, I told Trevor what happened. He would really like for us to get back quickly," Sypha said as she walked in. Anna jumped a little, straightening slightly, "I told him you were all right, but..."

Sypha shrugged a little. And Anna half-smiled weakly.

"Trevor wants his turn to fuss," she replied. "I suppose that's fair."

She scooted on the bed, but before she could try to stand a second time, Adrian had picked her up. She squeaked, making Sypha giggle a little.

"Oh, to be small," she teased.

Anna blushed harder, and gave her friend a half-hearted glare. Adrian chuckled slightly, carrying her through the short halls to the moon pool and Bait.

* * *

He'd wanted to help her _out_ of Bait as well, but Trevor was already in the base, and even if one arm was broken, he had another.

"What a pair we make," he was saying as Adrian and Sypha joined them. "Me with a bad arm, you with a bad leg. Someone should injure an eye next-ow!"

Sypha laughed as Anna pulled her elbow out of Trevor's sighed, a fondly exasperated look on her face.

"No more injuries," she huffed. "We've been set back enough, and I don't want to see anyone else get hurt."

Adrian moved to sit on her other side, and snugged gently up against her as Sypha moved to Trevor's other side and cuddled him. He'd heard the fear under the huffing anger, and slipped his arm around her waist, being careful not to encroach too much on Trevor's own hold around her shoulders.

"Perhaps if we all stay in for a few days, we can avoid that scenario," he said with delicate humor.

"Not that we can stay in forever," Sypha put in. "But a few days couldn't hurt."

Trevor groaned a little, but it was clearly theatrical.

"Mn... Oh. I did get more stalker teeth," Anna said, plainly ignoring her cousin's acting. "Some creepvine things too."

"From your pet stalker?" Trevor asked.

"...pet what?"

Trevor shifted enough to grin at him.

"Anna's got a pet stalker," he repeated.

"I do not!"

"Well, what would you call it?"

"Certainly not a _pet,_" she huffed. "It's just repaying me for helping it out of the creeper fronds, that's all."

"I mean, if it had been the one time, I'd agree with you," Sypha said, a teasing note in her voice. "But this is like... the third or fourth time. I think I'm with Trevor. You definitely have a pet."

Anna huffed again, and Adrian laughed softly, lightly nuzzling his head against hers.

"I may have to agree."

"Oh not you _too!_"

* * *

Survivor's log, Anna Torres

….maybe I should tell them about Scott's seamoth. I just... What if it's just another aspect of the kharaa? Just because it affected the aliens in one way doesn't mean it's going to be unilateral among humans. I mean, look at Mr. Tepes! His symptoms are more along the lines of some sort of storybook vampirism! If the derelict is just something I'm seeing, maybe it was meant only to warn me?

But what about the warper swarms? That's twice now, and this time was much more dangerous. If I'd had my mask any farther away, I might well have drowned...

I expect I'll be seeing new cysts along my leg even before those stitches come out. I hope they won't interfere too much with swimming. It's bad enough to not be able to put weight on it. It'll take some time for the torn muscle to heal...

I'm not sure I want us to _take_ the time, but I may end up being overruled.

I had to enlist Sypha's help to get the space to write privately. Trevor and Adrian both are hovering, and it makes me uncomfortable to write something personal when I can be seen. I understand their concern, I even appreciate it. I just... need space too.

I didn't think I'd sleep very well, considering how much it hurts, but... I think I did. Trevor basically pulled apart every bed in the habitat to make a comfortable spot on the floor, since he and Adrian seemed intent on staying close, and there's no beds here big enough for all four of us.

Adrian said he'd work on it. I'm almost afraid to find out what he'll come up with, but... I suppose a very big bed would be more comforting than two mediums, or four smalls. For right now, there's a nest, since I'm not allowed to climb ladders... and if it makes them feel better, I suppose we can all keep sleeping on the floor.

….maybe I should hope Mr. Tepes _does_ make a really big bed. The floors, even padded by blankets and cushions, are _not_ comfortable.


	19. Eighteen

Eighteen

"...the point behind making me a cane was so that I wouldn't have to bother someone if I wanted to move from room to room," Anna said tiredly, running a hand through her hair. "Not to make everyone come _scampering_ _in_ the minute I start using it."

They meant well. She knew they did. She also knew that if Trevor didn't _back_ _off,_ she was going to throw something at him. Possibly Adrian too. Sypha was the only one who would give her the space she asked for... though she could have used Sypha's ability to redirect Trevor right at the moment. Why had she gone off again?

Oh. Right. Titanium for plasteel.

"Anna, you're not-" he began.

"I have done scans," she interrupted. "I have had Sypha help me with changing the bandages, and keeping it clean. I sit. I stay on the one floor so I don't have to attempt the ladders. Trevor, _I am not helpless_! And I would appreciate it if you stopped treating me like I am!"

"So, what, you're the only one allowed to be overbearing when it comes to health?" he demanded.

"You _broke_ you _arm_. I don't have the tools that let me make it all better in one scan, Trevor, that's not how it works!" she snapped back. "If it heals wrong, you could lose the use of that arm!"

"Well, that would be what surgeonbots are for once we're back into civilization!"

"You-!"

Anna pinched the bridge of her nose and took in a deep breath. While pain made Trevor stoic, more quiet, it had the opposite effect on her, and being snippy at him because of pain wasn't the way to solve this.

"Trevor. Look. We need you to be at your best. Just because Sypha _can_ pilot the prawn suit doesn't mean she's mastered it. And being perfectly frank, I _would_ rather you pilot it, which means your arm needs to heal. We don't _have_ a surgeonbot here. We barely have the nanites thanks to the kharaa infection. My concerns about your arm healing are genuine, but _if you'll notice_ I don't stand over you practically every hour of the entire time you're awake _fretting_ over it. I _trust you_ to know what's a stupid idea, and also to _listen to me_ when I ask you not to do something!" She scowled at him. "So I'd _really appreciate it_ if you'd trust _me_ to know _my own_ limitations with this injury!"

He glared back, arms crossed with care over his chest. She knew he had started resenting the cast, but the kharaa had prevented the usual swift healing, which had meant the bone needed more protection. It wasn't quite the same thing; she still had full use of her limbs, and even if she limped, she could still pilot her seamoth, could still swim with the seaglide. A non-working hand wouldn't allow him to pilot _anything_.

"You do tend to run yourself rather ragged..."

She didn't even look over, just pointed at Adrian.

"You stay out of this."

Trevor snorted a little, _almost_ a sound of humor. Which made sense; between him and Adrian, she'd had to fight for time alone, and she was almost _certain_ they were trading off on purpose.

"Anna-"

"_No._" and now she turned her scowl to Adrian. "I need to work, and _you both_ need to let me do that. Which means going away and letting me have some _peace_, damnit! Give me the space I require!"

"So you can hurt yourself again?" Trevor snorted. "Not even slightly."

"_That_ was an accident," she said through gritted teeth. "And you have had plenty of times where you forgot and bang your arm against something, so maybe _don't_ get testy with me about it!"

_Sypha Belnades has entered the habitat_.

"Oh good, someone with _sense_," Trevor said, half turning. "You'll see, she'll agree with us."

"Even if Sypha agrees, the point remains that _I don't need babysitting_ when I'm working!" Anna snapped. "I'm sitting on a stool, and peering through a microscope; that's _not_ labor intensive, Trevor, and you could stand to back off!"

* * *

Waiting for Sypha to join them felt like the longest ten minutes Adrian had suffered in quite some time. Maybe they _were_ being a bit overcautious for Anna's safety, but they couldn't afford to lose their only medic. The fact that she and Trevor were back to glaring at each other didn't give him much confidence, and reminded him a bit too much of the times Scott and Liesse had clashed.

"...oh no," Sypha sighed, bringing in a slightly damp bag with creepvine fronds and seeds. "Anna, I got those samples you asked for, are you two fighting again?"

"She's being unreasonable!" Trevor protested.

"_I'm_ being unreasonable? I'm sitting down trying to work! _They_ are hovering and won't go away!"

Sypha just put the bag on the counter; Adrian watched as she didn't touch Anna, just looked at her for a long moment, then nodded and turned to Trevor, making shooing motions.

"Out. Out! Both of you need to leave her alone before she picks something up and throws it," Sypha said sternly.

"But-" Trevor protested.

"No _buts_, Belmont," and Adrian watched as Trevor's shoulders slumped just slightly at Sypha's sharpness. "Anna can do her work just fine without people watching her, and if she needs us, she'll call. You know that!"

Sypha's sharp blue eyes slanted in his direction too, and Adrian looked away after a moment; he just didn't _like_ leaving her alone in the room. She'd try to walk, maybe fall again. She hadn't torn stitches last time, but there was no guarantee...

"You too," and Sypha pointed at him firmly. "Let her have her space."

Trevor was still protesting when she shoved him out of the room, but Adrian couldn't quite bring himself to leave. Anna had very pointedly turned her back on him, though, and the tension in her shoulders suggested that she really _might_ pick up the nearest object that could be thrown.

And after months of swimming, she really was strong enough to throw quite a few things.

"...Ms. Torres..."

"Go _away_, Mr. Tepes," she said, voice clipped. "Let me be alone for a little while, as much as can be achieved in this base."

He heard the threat under her words; if they didn't, she absolutely would take her seamoth and go elsewhere for a bit, even if it mean she ended up in trouble again. And if she ended up in trouble again, there was a chance she might _not_ call for help.

So he sighed, and quietly withdrew. Perhaps if he had some tea, he would feel a bit calmer about things...

"Trying to make up for childhood neglect doesn't mean smothering her, Trevor," Sypha was saying as he walked into the room. "She _knows_ you love her. That doesn't mean she wants your attention every hour of every day."

"Yes, but," Trevor glanced up briefly in Adrian's direction, then grimaced.

"No _buts_, Trevor," and Sypha's voice was stern. "Anna's an adult, same as you. She has more official medical training than all of us, and knows how to judge her own injuries. Yes, she has a bad habit of pushing herself, but she wants to heal, same as you do. She won't push herself so hard as to compromise _that_."

_Almost_ Adrian asked if they knew about her habit of halving her own vaccine. But he bit his tongue; that would just start another fight with Anna, and he was pretty sure this time someone really _would_ get hurt. Instead he pulled out the mug of tea, and brought over one of coffee as well for Trevor.

"Kicked you out too?" Trevor asked with a small, rueful smile.

"As well she should," Sypha said tartly. "You're both being obnoxious about hovering over her."

"She requested space, and while I... don't enjoy leaving her on her own, I believe Sypha is right; if I had pressed, I might have had something thrown at me. Given the... number of fragile objects over there, it seemed wisest to retreat for the time being," Adrian replied, taking a seat with a small sigh.

"...yeah, okay, broken glass in a lab is probably a bad thing," Trevor admitted, taking a drink of the coffee after a moment. "She'd feel bad about it too, especially if she'd hit."

Sypha snorted, fetching a bottle of water for herself as she hopped up to sit on the counter.

"You both need to give her space," she repeated, frowning at them as she opened the bottle. "Anna's an introvert, and needs time to herself. I _know_ we've talked about this."

"That was before she got hurt," Trevor grumbled.

"Hurt or not, the only thing smothering her is going to do is upset her further," Sypha retorted. "If _I_ can give her space, so can you. I love her as much as you do, Trevor, okay? It's not fun seeing her in pain, and hearing her limp around, but if she wants help, she asks for it." There was a pause as she took a drink, before amending, "Most of the time."

Adrian couldn't help but chuckle.

"That would be the problem," he pointed out. "Most of the time means that some of the time she doesn't ask and struggle on her own."

"Sometimes you need to," Sypha retorted. "Let her do what she can, you two. She injured her _leg,_ not her mind, and you two need to let her be."

* * *

Space. Space was nice. Space let her focus on the lab work, making notes. Space let her focus on fixing the broken data pad while waiting for the sample analyzer to finish working, though she'd had no luck there. Something vital had been snapped, it seemed, but she didn't know enough about electronics to say just what it was. Space let her calm down, acknowledge how much her leg was hurting and adjust so that she could ease the pain without compromising her ability to work.

Anna leaned back from the microscope with a tired sigh; she'd been trying to make an improvement on the vaccine for a while now, but she still lacked the knowledge to really do more than replicate Dr. Montblancs own results. And Adrian's notes were only of minimal help; a mix of personal journaling and actual note taking made her feel relatively awkward when she tried to pick apart what he'd figured out.

If he'd _told_ her these thoughts, instead of writing them, it would feel less voyeuristic.

She stretched carefully, then rubbed her hands over her face. She was going to have to find Trevor and apologize for being snappy... it wasn't his fault that she'd gotten hurt, but he seemed to be feeling like it was. She had the right to assert her need for space, but yelling at him wasn't exactly the most helpful way of getting it.

"...ready for company yet?"

She turned carefully, and half-smiled as Sypha walked in, carrying a cup of tea.

"Not pushy company, but I think I'm calmer now," she replied, accepting the cup. "Are they...?"

"Adrian left in Sashimi to get some things for the vaccines. I think he's keen on the idea of stocking up so that when we go, we go," Sypha replied, dragging over another stool so she could sit down too. "I made Trevor go have a nap, and he's supposed to come apologize later."

Anna huffed a little in amusement.

"I should apologize too..."

"Maybe for yelling because that's... not like you," Sypha said after a thoughtful moment. "But you _are_ being smothered by the boys, and it's really not helpful at all."

Anna blinked; of all the things she'd thought a talk with Sypha could include, actual validation wasn't one of them. It was...

Nice.

"How long until Trevor can have his cast off, anyways?"

"Mmn... well, when I checked yesterday, it seemed like he was about halfway healed, maybe a little more. If necessary, he could probably work the prawn suit... though I'd like the bone to be a bit stronger first, because you know the _minute_ I let him back into that thing he's going to find some way of taking a hit."

Sypha laughed as Anna rolled her eyes in tolerant humor.

"You're probably right," she replied. "But you have to admit, it'd be kind of an entertaining way for him to get reinjured~"

"Well... maybe. But I really would like to avoid that. Bad enough to be down to half the available bodies because neither of us should get into the water until we've healed..."

Sypha reached over and patted her gently on the shoulder.

"That's not anyone's fault," she said firmly. "It's just the misfortune of living on Watery Death Planet."

Anna couldn't help but giggle.

"That's a mean name for the planet."

"Trevor's taken to calling it Waterworld."

"He _would_," she shook her head lightly. "He's always loved classic movies, especially the really bad ones. If we ever get back to a place where vids are available again, you might be subjected to them."

"Oh no," Sypha deadpanned. "The horror. Classic vids."

"Wait until you actually _see_ them. Then you'll get it."

Sypha giggled a little, and gently squeezed Anna's shoulder.

"Well, it might be bad, but at least I'll have someone to complain to, right?"

"...oh all right. A sacrifice for friendship."

That made Sypha laugh, and she leaned forward to kiss Anna on the cheek.

* * *

"Are you sure about this?"

"I can pilot a seamoth, Mr. Tepes, and use a seaglide. And _you_ need to practice with the Nautilus," she retorted as she carefully lowered herself into Bait. The wetsuit pinched in several places now, but she preferred the precaution of it. "Trevor's not exactly a careful pilot."

"_I heard that_," came the protest over the speakers.

"Well you're _not_," Anna replied as she flipped on the radio. "Besides, you need to work on getting your arm back up to proper strength so you can manipulate the prawn suit. Don't skimp."

"_Fussball_."

She grinned wryly as Adrian closed Bait's hatch and the moon pool arms dropped Bait into the water. The splash hurt, but she figured that was going to be the case for a while, and managed to keep the hiss inside of her mouth.

No point in getting them worked up over it...

She waited for the light knock that told her Adrian had grabbed onto Bait's shell, and piloted them both out to where the Nautilus was anchored. He'd practiced some because she'd ask Sypha to make sure he did, but this was the first time in two weeks he would be practicing with her. And it had been something of an argument to get him to _agree_ to practice with her, because Adrian didn't want her standing more than necessary.

But she could sit while manning the cameras to help guide him, so he'd eventually allowed himself to be talked around.

She watched as he swam to the hatch entrance before moving Bait under the docking bay and letting the Nautilus grab hold. Pulling herself out took a bit more wiggling than usual, but she managed it just as he stepped into the room to offer help. Maybe it was a little petty to be able to smile about getting out first, but she would take any little victory she could, especially when she needed his help to stand up.

She let him fuss a little, setting her up on a stool before he took his place at the steering mechanism. He tapped the engine start, and the sub vibrated softly.

"All right," he said after a moment, and she glanced over to see a moderately tight grip on the mechanism. "Where are we heading to?"

"...lets go in the direction of the research base," she said after a thoughtful minute. "We outside a prowler in this, so hopefully it'll leave us alone, and there's plenty of rays there which are non-threatening."

Adrian nodded, very carefully turning the sub as Anna turned her attention to the three cameras.

* * *

For a while, the conversation consisted of her telling him to pull up, or go a bit lower. She didn't push him to go faster, and when he stopped for whatever reason she would wait for him to feel ready to continue on.

Adrian tried to avoid watching her as she perched on the stool; if he fussed over her too much, she'd snap at him again, and he rather wanted to avoid that outcome.

As he carefully rounded a corner, obeying her observation to pull up slightly, the blinked, and let the steering go slack, the sub dragging to a halt.

"Ms. Torres?"

"Hm?"

"Can you... tell me what you see out the glass? Because I think I see a seamoth... but not one of ours."

She blinked, gave him a confused look, then leaned back from the camera feeds to look out the window.

"..._mierda_."

A derelict seamoth, glowing with kharaa and covered in rust, was resting on the seabed. There was a pair of soft pings, and Anna swore again, more vehemently this time.

"We need to leave, _now._"

The alarm in her voice surprised him; what was she seeing that frightened her?

The scream of the ghost leviathan was all the warning he had, and it slammed into the sub with a bone-jarring crash. Anna yelped as the stool unbalanced underneath her and she hit the metal with a thud that made him wince.

"Where?"

"_Anywhere,_ Adrian, just _go!_"

The pain and the fear had him pushing the Nautilus to full power as he turned them back towards the base. The ghost leviathan screamed again, giving chase, and hit the sub a second time. He flinched as Anna made a pained noise, but when he looked over at her, she'd managed to climb up the console.

She hissed something in Spanish that he didn't catch well enough to translate, and hit a button; with a surging snap, the energy shield discharged right as the leviathan closed for a third hit. It screamed again, and Adrian turned his attention to the camera feeds long enough to watch it jink away, hitting the cavern ceiling before electing to swim off in the other direction.

_Engine overheating_. The computer warned. _Danger of fires imminent. Recommend standard speed._

Adrian reached over and turned the engine to its lowest speed, easing the Nautilus into a fairly narrow space first before letting it coast to a halt. It would be tricky to get out, maybe, but it would keep them fairly safe for the moment, and allow him the chance to check on Anna.

She was practically clinging to the consle, shivering and face pale. Quickly, gently, he put an arm around her waist, and eased her to the floor; he'd fix the stool in a minute, when she wasn't shaking quite so hard.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I _hate_ that thing," she said, with a startling amount of vehemence. "_Every time_ I go out, it tracks me down and something bad happens!"

"Wait, wait... you've... what did you see?"

"It's Scott's seamoth," she said a little bitterly. "I found it by accident a few months ago when I was looking for titanium deposits, before we met you. We were looking to build our own Cyclops, go after materials that the scanner room said were deeper down. It... mostly lurked at me at first. I'd see it out of the corner of my eye, or... or it'd be in a crevasse, or at a rock face. Just... there."

"...Scott's...?" Adrian pulled her a little closer, not entirely sure if he was feeling protective or possessive. "You're certain?"

She nodded.

"I can't say for certain what happened to Dr. Montblanc," she said, her voice a little calmer now. "But Trevor thinks that when Scott read the message she left him, he... he lost control. Jellybase was badly damaged, and flooded when we found it. All the damage came from within, though."

"...so all he would have had was his seamoth," Adrian said softly. "And no access to whatever vaccine Liesse left him."

She nodded, and her head came to rest against his chest. He shifted a little; she was already practically in his lap, and he didn't see why she shouldn't be there all the way. It would be more comfortable, at least.

"It..." Adrian paused a moment, then looked down at her. "_This_ is what happened at the research center and Jellybase, isn't it?"

"...yes," and her voice was quiet. Almost meek. "I see it, and then something bad happens. I don't know if it thinks I'm Dr. Montblanc, or..."

After a moment she shook her head helplessly.

"I don't know, Adrian. I just know... I just know it's frustrating and frightening, and I don't know what to do to make it go away."

He heard the hitch in her voice and hugged her a little more tightly, lifting a hand to smooth her hair out of her face. She half hid against his chest, her arms loose around his waist, and he felt her taking several deep breaths, as though trying to fight for calm.

"...you haven't told anyone else, have you?" he asked after a long minute had passed.

"Trevor's never acted like he's seen it. Neither has Sypha," she admitted softly. "I thought... maybe it was just a manifestation of the infection. A different one, like the way your hemoglobin count dips and you need a blood synthetic to keep it up."

"But now I've seen it," he pointed out gently. "It's not just you. They should know."

She shook her head a little.

"I don't want to tell them. They have enough to worry about without wondering if some... some... if that thing is going to be after them. Please?" And she looked up at him anxiously. "Please don't say anything, Mr-"

"Adrian," he interrupted her.

"...Adrian. Please don't tell them."

He leaned back a little, bringing his free hand back up to lightly cup her cheek. She was in pain, and she was afraid.

"Anna, how can the help you if they don't know?" he asked quietly.

"They don't _need_ to help me," she replied. "I can... I can handle it."

He traced his thumb over her cheek in concern.

"You shouldn't have to handle it alone. You already do that with a number of things..." he sighed a little, tucking his chin briefly down on her head.

"...If Trevor hears about it, he's going to be upset," she said quietly. "I know the aggression is more the kharaa than him, but... he's going to be _really_ upset."

That gave Adrian pause.

Logically speaking, Trevor and Scott held a fundamental difference. He wasn't sure what it was, but he knew that what Scott had tried to do when it had been himself, Scott, and Liesse at the base, Trevor never would have. But when Trevor raised his voice, when an argument broke out... it was hard to remember that.

He sighed a little.

"Very well. I don't like it, but I won't say anything for now."

She let out a relieved breath, and rested her head against his chest again.

"Thank you..."

* * *

Survivor's log, Anna Torres.

It's not just me who sees the derelict; I don't know if I'm happy about it or not, but at least Adrian agreed to not say anything for the moment. I know keeping a secret makes him uncomfortable... it makes _me_ uncomfortable. But I don't want Trevor or Sypha to worry about a madman's last gasp. If he started going after them, I...

Well, I'd probably do something stupid.

Trevor's a little annoyed that we ran into the leviathan, but he knows it wasn't our fault, and we got away with a surprisingly minimal amount of damage. Adrian and Sypha will be able to fix it all in a day or so.

I think we're almost ready. Trevor's arm is getting better, so I started him on some physical therapy to make it stronger without putting too much pressure on the bone. Another week, maybe a week and a half, and I think we can go to the spot that Sypha found with leads down into a volcanic vent.

I don't know if I'm excited or afraid.


	20. Nineteen

Nineteen

"Anna?"

She looked up in surprise; her sample compilation was in full spin now, and she'd been distracted watching it. It was strangely soothing, even if she didn't always manage to learn something new.

Adrian picked his way carefully across the room, picking up a stool along the way and settling next to her.

"This message," he said after a moment, handing her his data pad. "Is this what you've heard before?"

Dread curled in her stomach; the audio file was a string of gibberish, and she wasn't too sure she wanted to hit the button.

Adrian put his hand on her good knee.

"I know. I just found it," he said quietly. "I didn't want to... upset you, but..."

Anna took a breath, let it out, then hit play.

_Beginning playback_.

"_You ran out on me, doc. Just... took off with a slimy son of a bitch shareholder who's more dead than alive anyway." _The voice was thick, almost wet. It sounded rather like someone speaking through a mouthful of water. _"I don't blame you, doc. Not really. They get in and fuck with your head. But it was the company that put us here. And he's Company, isn't he? Fancy rich shareholder, playing at being a scientist. Shoulda let me take care of it, doc. But I'll find him, sooner or later. And I'll take care of it, if he's not dead by then._

"_That's the biggest joke of all, isn't it? You keep talking about rescue and we just have to hold out until the company sends a ship. They're not gonna send shit-_"

Anna shuddered and turned the pad off entirely, silencing the voice.

"Yeah... I got that message the first time. Every time after, I just.. deleted it. I will admit," and she smiled weakly, "the file titles started making sense after a while. They weren't pleasant though."

Adrian nodded slightly, then slipped an arm around her shoulders. She leaned against him carefully, more because she didn't feel like overbalancing and knocking them both to the floor than because she felt embarrassed by the affection. She was actually starting to feel... comfortable with it.

When they returned to civilized space—because she refused to entertain the idea that they wouldn't—would he still want to be this close? Or would he return to his old life, and leave them all behind?

Anna pushed the thought away; one thing at a time.

"...you're tense," she said after a minute, concerned. "Adrian...?"

"We did not always get along the best," he said softly. "But I had hoped... Well..."

She brought her hand up to the one on her shoulder, and held it lightly, looking up at him. Scott had tried to kill him once, before Liesse had brought him to the base. But something in his face...

"You have to understand, I was... I was very delirious at the time. It was a rare lucid moment, though I was barely able to move," he said, looking at the samples instead of her. "Scott must have thought I was unconscious. He put his hands on my throat, but before he could do anything, Liesse returned to the habitat, and he retreated."

Anna blinked. Stared. That was _not_ part of the audio log that had been tripped in the old med bay.

"...wait. He tried _twice?_"

Now it was Adrian's turn to blink in surprise; Anna mentally kicked herself as he shifted enough so that he could look down at her.

"I do not remember a second time..."

She muttered under her breath for a minute, then sighed.

"Back when we went up to the surface for... well, Trevor wanted a few days, but I came back down after the first, I stopped by Jellybase because he told me that it had leaked all over the med bay. I wanted to make sure nothing was in danger of shorting out, considering all the work we put into it, so I went there before coming back here."

Adrian nodded thoughtfully.

"You were... agitated when you came in," he said after a moment. "It concerned me."

She half-smiled.

"I remember. But... anyways, the base was mostly okay, but I could tell there were some wires sparking, so I decided I was going to fix it. Do you... remember Dr. Monblanc arguing with Scott at any point in your bedridden state?"

"I..." He paused, tipping his head slightly. "Vaguely. There was some shouting going on, and I was called a dead-weight because I could no longer do the work..."

She nodded.

"He tried to kill you then, I think, by removing the IV she had you on, and turning off your oxygen. But Dr. Montblanc caught him before he could do more than that."

Now he nodded, slowly, and looked a bit sad.

"I see... Is that why you were so shaken when you came back?"

"...well, that and the fact that his seamoth made part of the cave ceiling come down," she grumbled.

"It what?"

"...okay, maybe it didn't, but I saw it right before part of the ceiling came down and hit the entry hatch. I'm not good in scary situations!"

That made him chuckle a little, and nuzzle her head very gently.

"Well, I can't say I'm too disappointed that it brought you back here, though I would rather you have not been frightened," he said, and amusement had leaked into his voice, burying the sadness.

Anna snorted a little, and very gently elbowed him.

"In any case, I don't think you should keep the file," she said as she sat back up. "I've just taken to deleting it every time it pops up. There's no point in hearing it again, not when he's being a self-righteous jerk about what happened."

Adrian nodded a little, and let out a slow breath before turning the data pad back on and quickly tapping a few things.

"I have to admit, that voice will haunt my dreams for a while," he murmured.

She reached over, and put one of her hands on his.

"Believe me, it already haunts mine..."

He turned his hand until he could gently squeeze her fingers.

"Well. At least we'll be in good company."

Anna blinked, then giggled.

"Yes. Yes we will."

* * *

"Anna, if you try to go through that checklist one more time, I may go mad," Trevor said with a groaning laugh. "We're never going to be ready to leave if you don't _stop!_"

"I just want to make sure we have everything," she replied, not looking up. "You were the one who said you wanted to go and not look back. So we need _everything_."

"She is right," Sypha said, pushing one of the growbeds out of the way. "You were the one who said you wanted to get it all done in one shot, even though _I_ said it might take a couple of days."

Trevor grumbled and moved out of the way as Anna limped carefully past him, heading for the engine room. She tuned out the playful bickering of Trevor and Sypha, and found Adrian about where she'd expected, still sitting at the ladder that led to the lower deck.

"All done?" she asked, gentling her voice a bit.

He nodded, clenching his hands briefly, before letting out a long breath.

"Are you... nervous?" he asked, looking up at her.

Anna smiled ruefully.

"I've been anxious about this ever since we knew we'd have to come lower," she replied. "I think I'm mostly numb to it at this point."

"Despite the... constant checking and rechecking?"

His smile was faint, and couldn't erase the worry lines on his face. So Anna lowered herself carefully, and reached out to touch his face gently.

"Adrian. It'll work out," she said quietly. "One way or another, it will."

He leaned into the touch, then sighed again.

"The lockers are filled to bursting with supplies, including several spare sets of power cells and batteries," he said after a moment. She picked her data pad back up, nodding a little. "Everything we might need for a medical emergency is either part of the fabricator's list, or the habitat builder's, and we have enough to cover several. And the vaccines are stored safely away so that none of them break if... _when_ we end up face to face with a leviathan-class sea monster. Also, all of the ion cubs and tablets you three picked up on the way down here."

"Are we leaving yet or what?" Trevor yelled from the front of the sub.

"...Adrian?"

Adrian sighed, got to his feet, and helped her to stand up.

"I suppose we had better, before he pops from impatience," he said with a small, tired smile.

"...that could be entertaining."

As she'd hoped it would, it made him laugh.

* * *

In the dark, time felt... well, negligible. Traveling in the sub, searching for the beacon Sypha had left, it seemed even more so. They edged with care through environs rife with things that wanted to take bites out of the Nautilus, Adrian steering slowly through the overhangs and crags to avoid the worst of them. Trevor complained a little about the speed, but when he watched an ampeel send a shock of electricity over a fish that had approached it, he stopped complaining quite so much.

Adrian had to work hard to avoid laughing at his expression.

The had been traveling for several hours when they reached Sypha's beacon, and Adrian cautiously eyed the hole. It _looked_ like it would be big enough, if only just...

"Are we clear?" he asked, looking over at Sypha who had taken over camera duty when Anna had gone to the back to check the engine's power drain.

"All good," she replied after a moment. "Not a sea monster in sight."

He half-smiled, even as he had a sinking feeling in his gut.

They descended slowly for several minutes, Adrian making careful adjustments at Sypha's word, until the narrow opening belled out into a cavern. It wasn't exceptionally big, there was maybe a ledge or two that could have supported a base if they were so inclined, and Adrian elected to let the Nautilus come to a halt there; his shoulders were aching from his grip on the wheel, and his legs were starting to feel the burn of being stationary for too long.

"My turn?" Trevor asked as Adrian stepped back.

"If you'd like. I think I can continue if I have a few moments..."

"There's still a lot of tunnel left before we get down far enough," Trevor replied, getting to his feet. "What's keeping-"

"_It should have. Been you. Adrian. Tepes._" The voice that blared from the internal speakers of the Nautilus was barely human. It was a thick, sludging voice, interspersed with horrible gasps for breath that made Adrian feel like he might be suffocating himself. "_Choking on your. Own rotting. Lungs. But you can't. Hide from me._"

Adrian spun to look out the glass, and there on the ledge was that damned derelict. Before he could ask whether they could see it, there was a familiar screech.

"Brace!"

There was barely time to manage it; Trevor swore vehemently as the leviathan collided with the rear of the sub, shoving the aft end down. Adrian grabbed for the steering mechanism and thrust the Nautilus forward and down at full speed. They couldn't do it for long, but it was long enough to get away.

"Where did it _come_ from?" Sypha demanded, checking the cameras and glaring at the holo-display that ought to have warned them.

"What even _was_ it?" Trevor retorted, shaking hie head a little where he'd knocked it against the wall. "That was... what the hell even _was_ that?!"

Adrian allowed the sub to slow, and glanced carefully out the window. No sign of the derelict, or the creature that had attacked the Nautilus... and they were getting alarmingly close to what looked like open lava, so stopping just before seemed like the proper plan of action.

"I don't know what that was," he said finally; he disliked lying to them, but the truth coming to light now wouldn't help anyone. "But it was..."

He closed his eyes and shuddered a moment. Had that _really_ been Scott? That angry, hate-filled mockery of a voice? He must have suffered fiercely in his last few days...

Hands touched his back, and he abruptly snapped back into the present. Sypha on his right, and Trevor on his left offered what comfort they could.

But where...?

"...where's Anna?"

* * *

"I'm _fine_," she protested as Trevor stuck a gauze pad on her head, holding it in place while Sypha wrapped the bandage. "It's really not that bad! Head wounds _always_ bleed a lot!"

The voice that had blared through the speakers had startled her into mobility; the attack had thrown her more or less down the ladder, and she'd hit _something_ hard enough to split the skin... but really, otherwise, she was fine.

"You can be fine and still get bandaged up," Trevor told her firmly. "And you're not leaving the bridge any more."

Anna huffed at him, then winced. Okay, maybe she had a few bruises too.

"Fiiiine..."

To be fair, she didn't actually want to get off the _bed_.

"_The hull seems fine_," Adrian announced. "_A few new scratches, but nothing looks in danger of falling apart or coming loose. Whatever leviathan hit us, we got away more or less unscathed._"

"Good, then get back in here," Sypha said firmly.

"Yeah, you need to sit on your girlfriend so that she stops getting hurt," Trevor added.

Anna smacked him on the shoulder with a small glare, feeling heat rising in her cheeks.

"What?~" And Trevor grinned. "You gave me and Sypha shit about it, why can't I return the favor."

"It's not- we're not- oh go away!"

He snickered, but obliged, moving from the corridor to the bridge. Sypha just patted Anna gently on the head.

"You could be, though," she said softly.

"...it's not _right_," Anna argued, voice soft but fierce. "He's suffered severe mental trauma due to the isolation; of _course_ he's going to latch on to the first people who find him!"

It wasn't that she didn't like the idea; she did. It was foolish of her, not to mention unprofessional, but she cared about Adrian Tepes more than a doctor should. Sure, he could be pushy and annoying, bossy and smothering, but he was also patient and kind, going out of his way to read to her when she couldn't sleep, bring her a cup of tea and a blanket when she couldn't take being touched for comfort. If he lacked a social filter, well, he made up for it by being exceptionally observant, and he hadn't yet broken his word.

But he'd also suffered nine years of isolation, and she didn't want to pin anything on the hope that things would stay the same once they were cured and off this watery death planet. Because in the end, Adrian Tepes was a shareholder, one of the board of directors of the Alterran trans-gov, and she wasn't even a blip on that particular radar. He might be Adrian in the moment, but once they were back, he would have to be Mr. Tepes again.

Sypha sighed and gave her a light hug, then left Anna sitting rather disconsolately on the bed. After a moment she turned her back to the corridor, tucking her knees carefully up to her chest and laying down on the bed.

She didn't turn when she felt him perch on the edge next to her; thanks to the narrowness of the Nautilus hall, they'd had to come up with bunk beds, which... were only big enough for two if you were determined.

Apparently, Adrian was determined, because he tucked himself up against her back, and put an arm around her.

"...you're all right?" he murmured.

"Fine," she replied back, a little more shortly than she'd meant to.

"...you're annoyed."

"I don't like Trevor's attempt at a joke. It's not funny."

"Ah..." For a few moments, Adrian's breath was warm on the top of her head. "Would it be so bad?"

She went still.

"...I don't want to sound cruel, Adrian," she said finally, "but you've spent nine years alone in the dark. You need... a broader perspective before saying something like that."

And she didn't want to hope for something she could never have.

Adrian's arm tightened around her waist slightly.

"And if I don't want one?"

Oh it hurt. But she closed her eyes, and somehow managed to make her voice firm.

"I'll be your friend for however long you want me to be, and I don't mind curling up, and being affectionate. But... until you're as mentally healthy as you can be, I can't accept or condone anything further. It's not _right_."

Hopefully, he wouldn't ask her anything more, because it felt like her heart was cracking into pieces to draw that line. She swallowed heard, and blinked back against the burn of tears as the silence stretched.

Finally, he sighed, and his grip loosened slightly.

"You are both one of the kindest, and most difficult people I have ever met," and there was warmth as well as sadness in his voice. "If that is how it must be... then I will take your friendship with an open hand."

He shifted his hand slightly, and smoothed her hair briefly.

"I'll go inform Trevor that such jokes are unwarranted. You try to rest. We'll likely need you when we finally reach the thermal plant."

She nodded, unable to form words around the lump in her throat, and keenly felt the lack of warmth and weight beside her as he got up. The closing of the hatch between cracked something inside, and she turned to bury her face in her pillow so that she could weep and pretend it would be unnoticed when someone finally came back in.

* * *

"I don't think we want to get any closer," Adrian said quietly, watching the dark shape of the leviathan-class sea creature circling around the ceiling of the cavern. "This one has _hands_."

"That;s going to be fun to dodge," Trevor grumbled. "We can't see anything from back here, so I guess it's time to go out and scout with ShrimpBucket."

"You'd _better_ dodge," Sypha said as Trevor turned to open the hatch. "That thing could probably knock you into next week."

"Probably," he agreed. "Just stand by the radio, I'll keep you informed."

She nodded, then kissed him firmly before he walked out of the room. Adrian politely averted his eyes.

"For luck," he heard Sypha say, voice husky. "You'd better come back to us in one piece, Trevor."

"Well, after a send off like that, I'd be a fool to not."

Adrian could hear the warmth, practically see the grin, and allowed himself to feel the pinch of hurt that he couldn't share the same with Anna. But no, she was likely right to draw that line. He didn't _think_ he would feel much different as time passed, but he could respect her desire for caution.

There was a hiss of decompression as the prawn suit dropped out into the boiling water, and the temperature of the sub took a brief spike before it drained out of the holding bay again.

"O_kay, I know this is going to sound redundant, but _damn_ it's hot out here,_" Trevor reported. "_Forget the pressure, the _heat_ is probably what's going to mess anyone swimming out here up the most!_"

"...not the most comforting piece of information, but duly noted," Adrian said a little dryly.

Sypha came up on his right, and just gently rested her hand on his back. It helped, some.

"Anna?" he asked quietly.

"Sleeping. I think. She didn't move when Trevor tapped her on the head, so she might be more injured than she let on."

Given how light she slept, that was worrying, but... he wasn't sure he was the best one to check on her.

"We'll let her sleep," Sypha continued, smiling up at him in an understanding manner. "If Trevor finds something she should know about, I'll wake her up."

He nodded, glad he didn't actually have to articulate what he was feeling. He wasn't entirely sure he could.

"_...god damn that thing's huge_," Trevor said. "_It looks like someone took a lizard and smashed it together with an octopus._"

Adrian coughed a little, unable to hide the smile. Sypha was much less restrained, and giggled.

"_There is _definitely_ something out in the middle there,_" he continued, the grin obvious in his voice. "_I'm trying to work my way around to it, but there's not a whole lot around here I can grapple too._"

"What about the upgraded jump jets?" Sypha asked.

"_Sypha, that's _lava_ out there. I don't think I want to melt the prawn suit. Anna would never let me live it down, and you know if I had to make another one, she'd just name it something sillier._"

"I'm not sure there is a sillier name than ShrimpBucket," Adrian put in.

"_Knowing my cousin, she'd come up with something..._"

Sypha snickered.

"Be nice, Trevor. At least she _did_ come up with something."

"_There's-ack that's not stable-absolutely nothing wrong with just leaving things in their default configurations_," Trevor retorted. "_But not only does she name them silly things, she paints them odd colors_."

"_You're_ just annoyed because she made Sashimi have a neon red stripe and wouldn't tell you how she did it," Sypha said knowingly.

"_I don't know _what_ you're talking... about..._"

"...Trevor? Are you okay?"

"_You guys are _not_ going to believe what I'm seeing._"

* * *

"That's... definitely a thing," Anna said, staring at the image Trevor had captured with his data pad. "It certainly _looks_ like the other alien structures we've run across around here."

"_I'm having some trouble getting to it,_" he reported. "_I think I need to come back to you and get a recharge, then head out on the opposite side of the cavern. I'll be back shortly._"

Three data pads pinged again, and Anna shook her head with a snort and a smile; Trevor had apparently hopped out of the prawn suit just long enough to take a very cheesy selfie with the alien structure and the strange sea creature in the background.

"..._damn that was hot..._"

"Maybe consider _not_ going out in lava-heated water then?" Anna said dryly.

A scoffing sound was her only reply, and she shook her head a little, then returned to studying the first image with a small frown.

"...I think I see the door," Sypha said, pointing at a shadowy depression in the front. "But I'm not really seeing a way for him to get _to_ it."

"If that sea monster wasn't circling the ceiling, we could bring the Nautilus in closer," Adrian murmured. He was sitting with her, but keeping a polite distance. Anna pushed away the idea that it hurt, choosing to be glad that he was still willing to sit near her at all. "Perhaps there's a way to lure it off?"

"Maybe a decoy?" Sypha offered.

"Maybe, but down here it probably won't last half as long. They're not made for extreme temperatures or pressure," Anna pointed out, carefully zooming in on the picture. "I wonder what those squares are... power sources, or broadcasting tools?"

The Nautilus shuddered a little as the vehicle dock hatch opened, and pulled the prawn suit into the bay. It wasn't more than a few moments later Trevor joined them, and half-flopped onto the opposite bed.

"Am I a boiled lobster?" he asked a little plaintively as Sypha moved over so he could have more room. "I feel like one."

"And that would be why you don't get out into water when there's also active lava," Anna replied unsympathetically.

Sypha nodded solemnly and Trevor gave them both a half-hearted scowl before leaning over sideways to claim most of the bed.

"Keeping an eye on that leviathan is _rough_," he groaned a little. "Rays aren't so bad, but there's some kind of damn lava lizard, and a leech-thing that keep hooking onto my back."

"Pity we can't give it an electro-shield," Sypha mused.

"I _wish_. I could bang them off with the arms, but they were battery drainers for sure."

"Glad now I suggested the thermal reactor?" Anna asked, raising an eyebrow.

Trevor made a rude gesture, and she giggled.

"You need some water and a nap," Sypha said with wry practicality.

"The sooner I go back out-"

"Trevor, the heat is exhausting, you know this," Anna interrupted, tone firm. "We're in a fairly protected spot, and we have plenty of supplies. Take a nap."

"...why do you get to be bossy again?"

"Because I'm the medic, and you know I'm right," Anna retorted.

He grumbled a little, but it was mostly for show; when Sypha brought him a bottle of water, he drained half of it before pausing for breath. Anna shook her head a little in wry amusement, and carefully levered herself to her feet.

"Where are you going?" Adrian asked.

"Engine check," she replied. "We need it running so that we keep having air to breathe, and I want to keep tabs on how much power we're using."

"We could probably turn the main engine off to conserve it," Sypha said as she moved through to the next room with care for her injured leg.

"That's fine," Anna called over her shoulder. "Unless there's a way to chase that leviathan off, we're probably going to be anchored here anyways..."

She heard someone else get up as she limped back to the engine room.

_Engine, powering down_.

* * *

Sleep proved easier for Trevor than for the rest of them. Sypha seemed content to stay curled up on the bed with him, reading books that had been stored on the data pad for such an event. Anna moved up to the bridge after a while, and Adrian followed, though he kept his distance, only watching as she moved the chair until she could sit close to the window.

"...you can feel the heat even through the tempered glass," she said after a few minutes.

"Well. It is lava," he said, allowing a small note of humor to enter his voice.

"True. But still. It's one thing to know it, and another thing to experience it."

He nodded a little in agreement, and slowly moved closer to her, until he could rest his hand on the back of the chair. She'd tensed, but when he did nothing more, her shoulders relaxed, and she even turned to smile up at him.

"I think I like the other areas better than this," she admitted. "A thermal reactor would work well out here, but the pressure and the heat would wreck all of us."

"It would at that," he nodded, unable to help smiling back. "There aren't a lot of helpful plants growing here either... do you think the creatures migrate to find plantlife, or just eat each other?"

"...well, that leviathan is certainly a carnivore," she said, her expression gaining a certain amount of trepidation as they watched it swimming by. "Those teeth make that _abundantly_ clear."

He chuckled a little, and shifted slightly to rest his hand on her shoulder. When her only reaction was to lean her head slightly on his arm, he squeezed gently.

"I'm quite sure Trevor knows how to avoid things with sharp teeth," he said reassuringly.

"I wouldn't bet on that," Sypha said from the hall with a snicker.

Seeing as Anna had started giggling, Adrian made an inquisitive noise.

"I think Trevor's been bitten by almost every type of minor predator this planet has to offer," Anna replied, eyes glittering with humor. "He's going to have a number of interesting scars to expand on when we get back."

"...do you think we will?" he asked after a long minute.

She lifted a hand and covered the one that rested still on her shoulder, and nodded firmly.

_"All_ of us."

* * *

"_Okay, I think I've found a spot to grapple to_," Trevor reported. "_There's a couple big kyanite crystals, and then from there I think I can make the jump to the entrance so long as that damn thing doesn't circle back around too fast._"

"Just take it slow," Anna replied.

"_If I take it much slower, I'll become fish food_."

"Take it too fast and you'll melt," Sypha retorted.

"_I'm being careful!_"

Anna and Sypha exchanged knowing looks. Behind them, Adrian made a soft sound of amusement.

"_I am!_"

"Didn't even have to say anything," Sypha murmured, grinning.

Anna just giggled.

"_...Okay. I've hit ground at the plant,_" Trevor announced. "_I see some sort of... barrier, but it's not a forcefield. I think I can get through it._"

For a moment there was a burst of static that made all three of the bridge occupants wince.

"Trevor?"

"_I'm fine. This place isn't very welcoming though... Hang on, getting out of the prawn suit, I think I see something in the corner..._"

The mechanical whirring was quick, but the radio didn't pick up Trevor's footsteps, so it was an uneasy few minutes before he returned.

"_So, remember how we found a mess of purple tablets just kind of... hanging around?_" he asked.

"Yes, why?" Sypha asked.

"_I found a blue one. It opened the door, so I'm going farther in. I can go faster without the suit, so I'll be out of touch for a bit._"

"...okay. Be careful."

"_You got it. Give me like... twenty minutes._"

Sypha leaned back from the radio with a worried sigh. Anna couldn't help feeling similar; they hadn't thought to bring the portables—of all things to forget, they had forgotten _those—_and there would be no way of knowing if Trevor was hurt, or worse, until he returned to the prawn suit.

"He'd better take lots of pictures," Sypha muttered.

"We made him take the scanner with him, so we'll be getting information just as soon as he scans something new," Anna replied, trying not to fidget with her data pad. "If nothing else, we can sort of track his movements that way."

That didn't make the wait any less unnerving. When Sypha got up to pace, Adrian moved over to the console to get out of her way; Anna glanced up, smiling sympathetically at the concern in his eyes. Even knowing that Trevor had some of the best-worst luck, she was feeling edgy too. She was just more used to compartmentalizing the feeling.

Abruptly all three pads pinged with several new files.

"...well, he's not dead," Adrian said after a moment.

Anna snorted, and reached over to give him a gentle shove.

* * *

Survivor's log, Anna Torres

There's even less privacy to be had on the Nautilus, but back here in the engine room it's not so bad. I just have to not fall down the ladder hole again.

Trevor sent us back a mess of information that we're all still trying to sort out, and I _wish_ we could all go in there with him. He's going back out in a few hours, after he rests and the prawn suit recharges again. We've had to switch out a couple of the power cells in the Nautilus too, but we've got so many that it's actually not really worth worrying about. And other than the encounter on the way down, the derelict hasn't shown itself once. I half-thought it might, since that leviathan out there would be something to send at us...

Let's hope I didn't just jinx us.

Trevor's going to take the ion cubes and remaining tablets with him. Apparently there's some doors that want for purple, and a blue one as well. I wish he'd thought to scan the blue one before putting it in the control box, but it's too late for that now. And admittedly, it's not like scanning the purple tablet told us anything either.

It's funny. Now that we're actually here, I'm not as nervous as I was. I'm not _calm_, but I'm not... scared either.

Are we really this close to reaching a cure?


	21. Twenty

Twenty

"_So, I have good news and I have interesting news. Also, I need some beacons._"

"...that sounds moderately ominous," Adrian said dryly.

"It does," Sypha agreed, nodding.

"Trevor, speak plainly," Anna replied with a small smile for her friends.

"_Well, I found some deactivated portals on my last trip, which is why I needed the ion cubes. Turns out they all drop off in a different location... that can be reached by seamoth or Cyclops._"

He sounded so damn smug, Anna felt like she needed to smack him through the radio.

"...you're saying that if you drop beacons at the exits, we should take the Cyclops and try to find one," Adrian said after a moment.

"_Well, yeah. You should all see what's in here too, and that's the only way!_"

"...Trevor, sometimes you are _really_ exasperating," Sypha sighed.

"_What? What'd I do?_"

Anna just shook her head a little.

"I'll get started on the beacons."

"_What'd I say?!_"

* * *

"This one's probably best for you, keeps you down dark and all that, but we're going to have to be careful," Trevor said, pointing to the fourth beacon. "That damn ghost leviathan is in the area, and it'd probably lay waste to a seamoth, not to mention taking exception to the Nautilus."

"...you could use the prawn suit," Anna said thoughtfully, glancing at Adrian. "If it permeates the barrier, then you could just leave it inside. The rest of us can take the Seafood Trio, and hit up one of the other spots."

"That's... an option," Adrian said cautiously after a moment.

"I _also_ learned how to make those tablets we've been wondering about," Trevor put in. "For the blue ones I grabbed some of the kyanite that was hanging out outside the plant. Purple just needs some diamonds, and the orange one needs nickel. Well, that and ion cubs."

"I thought you used up all the ion cubes?" Sypha said with a small frown.

"There's a machine in there that makes more. I got three more cubes off of it before it was depleted, and when I looked back, it was already in the process of recreating them."

Anna whistled lowly.

"Alterra will _love_ getting their hands on that," she murmured.

"Does this mean we're leaving?" Sypha asked. "Leaving the area, I mean..."

"Well, there's not much point in hanging around here, so... yes?" Trevor replied.

Adrian nodded a little, and had to admit he felt some relief; while they hadn't suffered too much trouble from the sea life, the oppressive nature of the cave was actually getting to him. Getting back to where it was dark and blue-lit was much more preferable, even if it did put him and Anna at risk of meeting Scott's derelict again.

"Was there anything special about these four areas?" he heard Anna ask as he turned to start the submarine engine.

"Not that I noticed, but I wasn't exactly looking," Trevor admitted.

"They can't just be random chance, can they?" Sypha asked.

"Somehow, I doubt that," and Anna's voice was thoughtful. "Whoever the builders were, they had a plan behind everything they did... well, except the escape of the kharaa into the biosphere."

"So if they open into four spots..."

"Then there must be a reason," Anna said firmly.

"What reason do you think it could be?" he asked, watching absently as Trevor's reflection moved into the corridor. No doubt he was going to take another nap.

Anna looked over at him, met his eyes in the reflected glass, then offered a shrug.

"I suppose we'll find out when we see the interior of the thermal plant, huh?"

"If then," Sypha sighed. "I think Trevor has the right idea, I'm going to lay down for a while too."

"Okay. Sleep well."

Sypha dragged the hatch closed with a small hiss, and for a few minutes Adrian concentrated on piloting the sub. Anna was still there when he glanced at the glass, her injured leg propped up carefully on the console as she leaned back in the chair.

"...I don't know if I should be excited or nervous," she finally murmured. "What about you?"

He laughed softly, and shook his head slightly.

"I feel rather like this whole thing might be a dream," he admitted. "It probably won't seem real until we're all inside the thermal plant, seeing whatever Trevor saw."

He saw her reflection nod, and she brought her other knee up to her chest, hugging it lightly.

"...you could go and rest too," he suggested after a moment, cautiously shifting the Nautilus to avoid scraping up against a rock.

"Mm.. I'm okay. You need someone to watch the cameras anyways."

He did, but she looked... tired. No, not tired as such, but worn in a way that he didn't quite understand.

Still, he allowed the silence to fall, and found that it was actually quite comfortable.

* * *

"Madre de _Dios_," Anna said softly stopping short as she entered the main room of the thermal plant. "It's _massive!_"

"You're telling me," Trevor said with a grin.

"These are all the artifacts you scanned?" Sypha asked, peering curiously at the glass cases. "What do you think the nanites are?"

"The scan suggested they were far more advanced than anything we've got, and they should probably _stay_ in the case until there's a way to get other people here without half-murdering them," Trevor replied.

"That's your ion cube fabricator then?" Adrian asked, gesturing to the tower in the middle of the room.

"Yup. Impressive huh?"

It really was. It looked almost like the model of a planetary skyscraper until one got close enough to realize the cube wasn't actually part of it.

"Did you bring the prawn suit through with you?" Trevor asked, glancing at the other man.

"Yes, though I'm curious as to why you wanted it."

"Can't take the whole cube," he replied with a shrug. "I need the drill arm to break it apart into manageable chunks."

"Ah..."

Anna limped across the room with care, approaching the forcefield control with mild trepidation and severe curiosity. Trevor had made a blue tablet for them to see, and she wanted to know just what was beyond this barrier.

Like the controls before them, the moment she held the tablet within range of the control panel, it practically yanked itself out of her hand, snapping into place, and the barrier beyond shimmered, then faded out.

Nothing had been holding air back, but she got the sense that something _large_ exhaled as the barrier faded into nothingness.

She hesitated, looking down the hallway, then glanced over her shoulder; Adrian seemed to have only been waiting for that as permission, because he swiftly crossed the room to her side, his hand coming to rest supportively against her low back. He looked down that long corridor, and took in a slow breath.

"Down there, you think?" he murmured.

Anna nodded. Whatever had been waiting for them, whatever had called _to_ them, it was down there.

* * *

"Do you think we'll find a power source down there, or is that the primary containment?" Sypha asked, peering over the edge into the cloudy blue water below.

Adrian peered cautiously as well, frowning a little.

The hallways had opened up into a large room, with the only remarkable features being what looked like a portal on the far wall that they couldn't _hope_ to climb to, and this large pool of water. Anna was already carefully working her way down one of the side ramps, utilizing Trevor as her ballast so that she didn't fall into the water prematurely.

"Given that the water does not seem to be agitated in any manner, I would suspect that this is primary containment," he finally said. "And I think I'm impressed that the builders, whoever they were, were able to make a facility like this that powers all the other installations they might have in the area."

Sypha nodded a little in agreement, and they quickly joined Trevor and Anna at the bottom of the ramps.

He cast a concerned look at Anna; she had her eyes fixed on the water, and there was a thin sheen of sweat on her face. Plausibly from having to walk so much on her injured leg, even with the support of the cane, or her friend... but that didn't make it less concerning.

"We're going to have to get in to find out what's down there," Trevor said after a moment. "One at a time, or all at once?"

"All at once," Sypha said promptly. "Better to face this together than only hear secondhand what happens."

Adrian nodded in agreement; this felt like something akin to an ending, and while he hadn't known them very long, whatever end it was, he wanted to face it with all of them. He slipped up on Anna's other side, and tucked her arm firmly in his to give her another person to lean on. Sypha did the same on Trevor's other side.

"Breathers," Anna said firmly, freeing her arm briefly from Trevor's to pull hers on.

Sine it was a sensible reminder, they briefly untangled long enough to pull them on, then linked arms again.

"On three?" Trevor said with a grin.

"Just jump," Sypha retorted, and did precisely that.

Trevor swore a little, but Anna laughed; Adrian smiled, letting himself fall forward into the water that was pleasantly warm without being hot. Below them stretched a large square of metal, hanging from chains; visible just beyond looked to be some patch of the sea floor. Sypha and Trevor broke off from their small human chain, while Anna continued to hangonto his arm; since he knew she was trying to avoid kicking with her injured leg, Adrian was more than willing to tow her slowly along.

"_What is it?_" Sypha asked as they swam down.

"_It might be a thermal regulator,_" Anna replied, though she sounded uncertain.

"_Whatever it is, it's in the way,_" Trevor said with a snort. "_There's got to be more to this place than-_"

A strange chirping noise interrupted him, and a long, scythe-like appendage cam down hard onto the square. Anna gave a small shriek of surprise and her hold on Adrian's arm tightened; Trevor and Sypha both swore as they rapidly swam back. Adrian stopped short, pulling his arm back slightly to keep himself between Anna and whatever this new creature was.

The head that appeared was _massive_, but the face didn't look like something that belonged to one of the apex predators they'd faced in the rest of the ocean. He wouldn't say it looked _kind_, but it also didn't look like it was something that wanted to eat them.

_Are you here... to play_?

The voice was achingly familiar, and Adrian had to stare at her for a long moment as he realized that this was the being that had been talking to him for so many years. This ancient, massive creature that inspired both awe and fright at first sight...

"_What. The fuck...,_" Trevor whispered.

_Others came here once. They built these walls_, and the creature looked around briefly. _They played... alone. They _bored_ me._

Adrian swallowed hard; had they made a monumental mistake in coming here, or was he just hearing inflections where there were none? Given the way Anna's grip had briefly tightened, the way he could feel her trembling just slightly, he wasn't the only one who thought that is sounded mildly threatening.

_Now, they're gone. And instead, we have you_. The arm moved off the box, setting it to wobbling slightly as she turned away. _We wonder, will you swim with the current, or fight against it, as they did?_

There was a rush of water as she disappeared below the box, and for a long minute, no one said anything.

"_Was that the Sea Emperor_?" Sypha finally asked weakly.

Trevor put an arm around her, touching his head to hers, then pulled her over to Adrian and Anna.

"_Is everyone okay_?" he asked.

"_Shaken, but... otherwise fine_," Sypha replied.

Anna just nodded, finally loosening her grip on Adrian's arm. He absently noticed his hand tingling as the blood flow returned to what passed as normal for him, and let out a slow breath. His head was reeling, though whether it was from the adrenaline or the fact that he hadn't been breathing for a few moments in shock, he wasn't sure.

"She's _real_," he murmured. "I would hear her so often in my head, but I never thought..."

"_What's she doing now?_" Trevor asked.

Sypha swam over to one of the chains, and held onto it, looking down.

"_Swimming around the enclosure,_" she reported. Then, after a pause. "_I think... she's trailing glitter?_"

"...not glitter..."

Anna's head came up, and she released Adrian's arm entirely, somewhat awkwardly swimming her way over to Sypha.

"_...that's the same glitter we find in the Peepers we need for the vaccine_," she said after a long minute. Awe and excitement entered her voice. "_This water must be _filled_ with enzyme 42!_"

"_Okay, but what does that mean for us?_" Trevor asked, swimming down to join them.

"_It _means_ that the longer we stay in the water, the more our symptoms will lessen_," she replied. "_I don't know if she can cure them completely just like this, but..._"

Adrian blinked, then swam over quickly.

It was only a patch of the sea floor, but somehow, it managed to be big enough for the Sea Emperor to make several circuits. Every few minutes she expelled a cloud of glittering motes that Peepers and the other sea life in the enclosure would dart through.

If he could have sat down hard, he would have.

There really was a cure.

"..._okay. So... what do we do now?_" Trevor asked.

"_...I think we should go down there and talk to her_," Sypha said slowly. "_And maybe look around some too. There's something else down there..._"

Trevor nodded in agreement, and pushed off the edge of the square, heading down rapidly. Sypha looked at Anna, and offered her arm, which the other woman took. Adrian brought up the rear much more slowly, wanting to look at everything at once.

How long has she been trapped in a box, the way he had been trapped in his base? It was no wonder she'd reached out to him; as vast as her mind was, as alien as it was, she had been lonely too. And she had saved his life in more ways than one with her limited communications.

"_There's eggs down here!_" Anna announced, breaking him out of his introspection. "_Some kind of incubation device... Trevor, we need an ion cube to turn it on_."

"_I think I have one left_," he said, rummaging through the carry bag. "_If we need more I can go back up and get them..._"

The Sea Emperor landed on the floor, long squid-like limbs trailing out to all sides as she peered down at them. There was nothing threatening about her now, just... awe at her size, at the feel of her age. Adrian wanted to go up and touch her, _thank_ her, for saving his life for so long.

There was a soft, sizzling snap as the ion cube was put into the incubator, and the Emperor lifted herself up from the sea floor, moving over to an arch that was mostly covered by sand.

_My young need to hatch; to play, outside this place. We have been here so long_, and Adrian winced at the sadness in that great mental voice. _The others built a passage, to reach the world outside. I asked them for this freedom, but... they could not hear me. If you help us, I will give you freely what the others tried, in vain, to take._

She blew a hard gust of water at the sand, clearing away the dirt to reveal the arch in full, and the power box before it.

"..._Right. Give me five minutes, and I'll be back with another cube_," Trevor said, and pushed off hard from the ground, making for the surface of the enclosure.

The Emperor watched him go, her head tipped in curiosity as he swam swiftly by her face.

"He's coming back," Adrian said, though he wondered if she could hear them speak at all. "We're just temporarily out of the things we need to power the portal."

This seemed to satisfy her, and she returned to watching them. Cautiously, hesitantly, Adrian swam over and rested his hand against her forearm. He got the sense of warmth, of curiosity and pleasure at the touch, and had to wonder if she had suffered much in her own isolation.

"_This is amazing_," Sypha murmured as she swam off from the incubator terminal. "_Nothing in here is even slightly infected._"

"_They must have isolated her to study the effects of enzyme 42, but when they screwed up with the sea dragon egg, every project got terminated_," Anna theorized. "_The builders must have died off before they could try and fabricate a cure because they were too afraid of the infection_."

_They left us... alone,_ the Emperor said, her voice achingly sad. _But they could not hear us, and did not try._

Anna looked up, and Adrian thought she might be heavily empathizing with the Emperor.

"_As far as we know, they were modified machine-organic hybrids_," she said. "_So that's not surprising._"

"_What _is_ surprising is that _we_ can hear you,_" Sypha put in.

_You are like us. But not. I felt your arrival, but... reaching out over long distance is difficult. Tiring._

Adrian nodded a little in understanding; he could remember how short those early communications with her had been, her vast mind touching his delirium dreams to leave only brief messages. They had grown longer and more complex after Liesse had vanished, her touch staying with him for hours at a time.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

It seemed such a small thing to say, when he owed her so much. And she had been down here, waiting, for...

_You are more like us than the others were. You had a greater need. I could not ease all your pain..._

"No one could have," he said, offering her a sad smile. "Humans... don't do very well in dark solitude. Your contact saved my life more than once. I'm... sorry I couldn't have gotten here sooner."

A hand dropped onto his shoulder, startling him enough to look away from the Emperor; Anna offered him a small, sympathetic smile.

"_You had no way of knowing what was real and what wasn't,_" she pointed out gently. "_Nor did you have any way to get down here. That's not your fault, Adrian._"

He made a noncommittal noise, though he couldn't help smiling when she hugged his arm.

"_She's right you know_," Trevor said; his voice was accompanied by a splash as he re-entered the water. "_Hell, if we didn't have the prawn suit, _we_ probably couldn't have made it down here, and that didn't get sold to Alterra until about five years back._"

"_Six_," Sypha said.

"..._whatever. The point is, you lived. And you got damn lucky we showed up._"

Adrian had to chuckled a little, if ruefully. Anna looked like she wanted to pinch the bridge of her nose in irritation, and just settled for rubbing her hand over her mask as Trevor swam down and put the ion cube in the box.

As the portal powered to life, the Emperor pulled away from Adrian's hand, returning to circling the large tank.

_With the passage you have opened, my young can leave this place._ And while it was not overly emotional, the projected contentment was clear enough. _But first, they must feel that the time is right. This is what the others could not take from me... but to you, I give the secret willingly._

Anna squeaked a little, and when Adrian turned, he saw her staring up at the Sea Emperor, as if in awe. Then she looked at the three of them.

"_I know how we can hatch the eggs._"

* * *

"So we need a ghost weed seed, an eye stalk seed, a fungal sample, a sea crown seed, and a bulb bush sample," Trevor said. "That's all?"

They had all been running low on air, so they had been forced to retreat to the surface.

Anna nodded, tapping on her data pad to make sure everyone got the file. It had startled her to realize that the Emperor had given the knowledge directly to her, not all of them... but she felt flattered, warmed by the attention.

"We've seen most of these," she said, pointing at the relevant data files. "And I think the builders might have been close to figuring it out, if the drop locations for all the portals is correct. The only thing that stands out is the sea crown... and I have a sneaking suspicion it's down there."

And she gestured to the tank.

"So, do we split up?" Sypha asked.

"That would be the fastest way to get everything," Adrian said, though his tone was... subdued.

"Might not necessarily be the safest, though, Trevor said.

Anna looked up at her cousin in a mix of surprise and suspicion; since when had he put thought into what was the _safer_ option?

"Sypha and I will go looking for these seeds and things," he said after a moment. "You two stay here. See what all is in the base, and keep the Sea Emperor company."

It was tempting to protest, but in truth, it wasn't half bad of an idea. Adrian looked thoughtfully pleased, and Anna had to admit that even with trying to be careful, her leg was hurting more than a little. Resting here wouldn't be so bad...

"Just don't take any foolish risks," she said after a moment. "We left the Nautilus back at the base, and even with these portals, it'll be a swim if someone gets hurt."

Trevor grinned at her, pleased, and Sypha got to her feet with a nod.

"I'll make sure nothing bites him," she said with a wicked grin.

"Hey!"

Anna giggled, shaking her head a little as they headed back up the ramp before looking at Adrian.

"...are you okay?"

"I'm..." after a moment he shook his head, and shifted to lean lightly against her. "She's real. For so long I depended on her as something to keep me grounded, anchored, even though she was only ever a vague shape, and a kind voice. There was a time or two when she asked if I could come to her, but..."

Anna put her arm through his gently, squeezed lightly.

"It's really not your fault, Adrian," she said softly. "And I'm sure she doesn't blame you. Why don't you go back down there and talk with her for a while? I'm sure she'd love the company."

He hesitated, then nodded.

"Will you be all right alone?" he asked.

"I'll be fine. I might even nap, though it won't be that comfortable," and she unhooked her arm, then gave him a gentle push. "Go on. You spent nine years talking to a voice. Go talk to the real thing."

* * *

Survivor's log, Anna Torres

How long has she been trapped, I wonder? Probably years beyond years, if the artifacts in this place are any indication. It's cruel that they left her here, unable to escape in any manner. That square panel keeps her from emerging from the top, and the arch is too small for her to get out that way.

….what will happen to her, when we hatch her eggs?

I know Trevor suggested splitting up to delay getting all the pieces together. It's probably one of the nicer things he's done for Adrian. I think he knows, too, but I'm inclined to let it slide for a while. I get the feeling there's a lot Adrian wants to discuss with the Emperor, and... well, after being in that water for a while, I actually do feel better. My arms don't hurt as much, and when I looked, the cysts seemed smaller. Adrian actually had some color in his face when he came up to trade air tanks earlier, and he certainly seemed more energetic than usual.

It's not a full cure. I think I can say that much for sure, just based on the research I've found. But maybe when we hatch the eggs, we'll find out just how potent the builders managed to make enzyme 42.


	22. Twenty one

Twenty one

"_Are you sure about this?_" Trevor asked as they floated before the alien terminal that would distribute the hatching enzyme.

"_No, but it's one of those situations where I don't think I ever will be_," Adrian replied. "_So it's best to just get it over with._"

Anna glanced at him worriedly, but when he nodded at her, she only sighed lightly and put the vial into the terminal. It made a sound like glass breaking, shut down, and then almost as one, all the eggs began to rock sharply. Cracking noises filled the water as the five baby sea emperors pulled apart the thick shells.

Happy chirps echoed and reechoed as they finally broke free, and Anna couldn't help but smile as she watched them all make a beeline for their much larger parent. They snuggled up against her large body, swam around the forelimbs planted in the ground, and chirped at her even more. The answering chirp was somehow both happy and sad, and as Anna watched, she felt suddenly certain that this great creature's life had finally reached its end.

The little ones swam away, heading for the portal, and the great arms wobbled, the head dipped. Anna's heart lodged in her throat as she watched the Sea Emperor list to the side.

_My young are swimming for the shallows_, she said. Her voice was softer somehow. Not weak, but gentled. _I thank you... Their freedom is my end. What will it be like, I wonder, to go to sleep and never wake up?_

Anna glanced over to Adrian in concern, and saw that his hands were clenched tight. She hesitated, then reached out and looped her arm through his to offer what comfort she could. Sypha did the same on his other side when he didn't reject the touch, and Trevor put his hands on Adrian's shoulders.

_Perhaps next we meet, I shall be an ocean current, carrying seeds to a new land... Or a creature so small, it sees the gaps between the grains of sand._

_Farewell. Friends_.

She didn't fall right away, but managed to slowly lower herself to the floor. Adrian half turned, pressing his mask against Anna's, and she hugged his arm gently. Words were no comfort, so she didn't offer them, didn't even try. Sypha and Trevor tucked themselves closer, and they did their best to give was comfort they could.

One of the juveniles twirled around them, in a manner that made Anna think of a cat. It left a trail of glittering balls, and she recognized that glitter after only a moment. It bumped against her gently, trailed tentacles over the other three, then followed its siblings out through the portal.

"_What is that?_" Sypha asked, studying the floating, wobbly glitter ball.

"The cure," Anna said softly. "This is the thing that will remove the kharaa not just from us, but this whole planet."

"..._do we touch it?_" Trevor asked doubtfully.

Adrian straightened slightly in their combined hold, and looked at the ball for a long minute, then slowly reached out and put his hand into it. He hissed, drawing back a hand covered in the glitter, and hunched a little, pulling his hand to his chest. Anna hovered in concern, and they all watched as the glittering gel simply... absorbed through the wetsuit.

Slowly, Adrian straightened. Took in a breath.

"...Adrian?"

"_I feel... better,_ he said, though he looked and sounded bemused. "_In ways I don't think I can actually describe..._"

Trevor seemed to think for a moment, then stuck his hand into the goop as well. Sypha followed suit, and though both of them swore, once the glitter was absorbed, that seemed to be the end of it.

"We're all going to get as full a lab workup as I can manage once we're out of here," Anna muttered, reaching out and touching the goop.

It felt... warm. Sticky too, almost like mud. She hissed as fire slammed through her system, gritted her teeth as she fought through the pain.

And then the pain released her. Her arms no longer ached. Even the pain of her leg was dulled down to something she could ignore.

"_...soooo..._" Trevor drawled, turning to look at the portal as Anna shivered briefly. "_Where do you think this portal goes?_"

* * *

Adrian hadn't been in shallow water since the last time he'd swum from the Nautilus to the floating island base. And that had been a very _aborted_ swim, as the moonlight had tried to turn his hands and face into kindling. One of the few times Scott had actually come in handy and helped him, kept him from drowning in the shock of unexpectedly brutal pain.

It was night again, and they were in the shadow of an island, not too far from what looked to be an entrance to something.

"..._this is the island we crashed onto,_" Anna said after a moment. "_That's the entrance to the quarantine platform._"

Adrian looked around, half-absorbed in the nighttime scenery. _Years_ since he'd been anywhere above two hundred feet, and here he was...

"_Let's not take unnecessary risks_," she continued, getting behind Adrian and giving him a small push. "_Inside with you, please._"

He had to smile at her insistence, obligingly heading for the doorway with Anna loosely holding onto his air tank. Trevor was already ahead of them, and Sypha wasn't far behind.

"_Do I have to get my arm stabbed again?_" Trevor asked as they made it into the base.

"_Let me do scans, and we'll see,_" Anna replied.

"_If we're all cured, any one of us could do it,_" Sypha said. "_So technically no, you don't _have_ to get your arm stabbed again._"

Adrian chuckled just lightly, following Trevor to the far end of the pool and helped Anna out of the water.

"Good, because I think I'll take a pass on that," Trevor said as he pushed his breather off.

"_Big baby_," Anna said, steadying herself with care. "_Here, give me the scanner._"

Sypha pushed off her own breather as Trevor passed the scanner to Anna. One by one she scanned them all, and only when she finished with a broad smile did Adrian feel like he could let go of the anxious breath he'd been holding.

"All of us are clean," she said. "Completely infection free. I'll-"

"You'll sit," Adrian said firmly. "Trevor can show me where this... arm stabbing thing is. I'll shut it down."

"I can walk!" she protested.

"But you shouldn't," Sypha pointed out reasonably. "Infection free doesn't mean injury free."

Anna huffed, but obligingly sat down after a token grumble that he decided not to translate. Sypha giggled a little, and Trevor motioned for Adrian to follow as he started off through the open door.

"It's not a nice stabbing thing," he warned as they started up the series of ramps.

"I would expect not, considering it has to get a proper sample," Adrian replied mildly. "But if it turns off the weapon, then I don't mind being stabbed in the arm."

Trevor shook his head a little.

"I swear, the first time it popped out, I thought it was going to stab me in the face. And then Anna hit me for touching it before she knew what it was."

Adrian chuckled.

"Well, I can't blame her for that. Especially if she thought it was going to do more than just an arm stab. She's... very defensive of you. In her own way."

"Yeah yeah," Trevor waved a hand slightly, but there was a small, pleased smile on his face. "She's protective as hell. You'll have to get used to it, if you plan to convince her to date you."

Adrian didn't even stumble, though he did feel his heart jump slightly. After explaining how that sort of joke wasn't funny to his cousin, he'd thought Trevor might let the whole situation slide.

Apparently not.

"She's... not open to that at the moment," he said finally.

"At the moment she's being protective," Trevor replied, shaking his head a little. "Of you, yes, but also herself. Anna's romantic experiences haven't ended well in the past. They make for some funny stories, though,"

And he snickered a little, shaking his head, then lightly patted Adrian on the shoulder.

"Look, she cares. You're just going to have to convince her you're not... going to leave her behind."

Adrian nodded slightly, and smiled at Trevor.

"I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

The alarm klaxon startled them both, and Sypha almost fell into the water. There was noise overhead, and even as Sypha caught her balance, Anna jumped to her feet, ignoring the pain it caused her, and looked around in a bit of a panic as the lights flared bright, then all died at once.

The silence returned after only a few moments, and there was _just_ enough ambient light to see by. When she reached out, Sypha caught up her hand, moving closer to provide balance and comfort both, and they stood there uneasily in the dark.

"...do you think that means it's off?" Sypha finally asked.

"I don't know... Maybe? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine... what about you, you got up so fast..."

Anna moved her leg gingerly, and grimaced.

"I don't think I tore the stitching, but I do think my leg is upset," she admitted.

Sypha nodded, and looped her arm around Anna's waist.

"Should we yell at them when they get back?" she asked.

Anna blinked, then giggled.

"They probably got their ears blasted worse than we did, so maybe we should be nice and save any scolding for later.~"

* * *

The sun, it seemed, still burned him easily, but it had been so long since he'd been in it, it had been worth the risk to test. It wasn't half as bad as it had been either; he'd managed half an hour under it before having to seek shade.

It had been worth the scolding Anna had given him, to feel the sun again. The wind.

"So, what's the plan now?" he asked as they joined him in the entrance of the now-defunct weapon.

"Well, now that the Sea Emperor babies are out and spreading the cure, and the weapon's shut off, we can focus on getting what we need to build that escape rocket," Sypha said. "Anna?"

Anna looked up from where she was sitting, then pulled her data pad off her belt and flicked through it.

"We need... Well, for the base we need some lead, titanium ingots, and computer chips, _and_ we need to get our hands on the MVB again. You _did_ remember to pull it out of the water this time, right Trevor?"

Trevor snorted.

"It's been in storage since after I built the prawn suit," he said with a nod.

"Good. The last thing we need to to have to make that a _third_ time."

Trevor responded by sticking out his tongue while Sypha giggled. Adrian glanced at Anna, who was grinning just slightly, and had to fight a smile himself.

"Once we have the base, the computer there will tell us the rest of what we need," she finished. "We'll have to make some adjustments, since the rocket isn't actually made for four people... I guess they didn't expect more than one survivor at a time, if that."

"We'll have to get the Nautilus up here too," Sypha said thoughtfully. "Get everything we can out of it..."

"If we clear out the bases, we could probably have more than enough to build it all in one go, whatever the materials cost," Trevor added.

Adrian felt a small pang in his heart, and turned away to look out across the ocean from the entrance of the facility. Leaving. After ten years on this planet, he was... leaving? It didn't seem real. What preparations was he going to have to make, how much would he have to leave behind...

Would he be welcomed back, or would the board of directors fight any chance of reinstatement? Not that he cared too much, but if he retained his position, there was a chance to drag Alterra by the ears back to something that resembled proper behavior. But that would mean... people.

A part of him cringed at the idea; he was only just used to these three. Leaving the planet would mean returning to crowded cities, hundreds of thousands of people, and more noise than ever.

"...Adrian?" Anna's concerned voice snapped him back to the moment, as did the hand she laid on his arm. "Are you okay?"

"Ah..." he looked down at her, then over at the other two who shared similar expression. "...my mind wandered."

Her eyes narrowed slightly, but she didn't press.

"We were going to go back down, using the portals to make the trip faster," she said after a moment. "Do you want to come?"

He hesitated, and looked back out at the sand, the sea, and the sky. Daylight hurt, but... would the moons?

Was it worth testing now, while his skin itched from the burns he'd already acquired?

"...I'm coming."

* * *

He wasn't the pacing type, he was the _brooding_ type. Which was why Anna had waited for the other two to go to sleep before quietly getting out of bed and utilizing the ladders to get up to the lounge and the observatory attached to it. Walking without the cane meant she limped, but she couldn't use the cane _and_ carry the tea and blankets.

She found him sitting on the bench like she'd expected, staring out into the dark ocean, lit haphazardly by the blue anchor pods, carefully inched down the three steps, then sat next to him and offered him one of the mugs.

Adrian looked down at her in surprise, then accepted the tea, sipping it slowly while she snugged the blanket around them both. Then she carefully tucked her legs up on the bench so that she was pressed against him, and waited.

One arm slid slowly around her shoulders, allowing her to scoot closer, and the hand that rested on her arm was loose, gentle. She let her head rest on his shoulder, curling her own arm around his waist, and for several long minutes they just sat there comfortably.

"I don't know if I want to leave, now that I have the opportunity," Adrian admitted softly. "I've been here for so long, I'm not sure..."

"You should come with us," she said quietly. "But I won't tell you that you _have_ to, or that you _need_ to. I just... don't want you to stay here alone."

The idea was terrifying, honestly; if Adrian stayed behind, what would happen to him? The Sea Emperor babies couldn't talk to him the way their parent had, and even though he was better, he couldn't live on the surface. The sun was still quick to burn him, and they didn't yet know how bad the moonlight would get.

What would happen if he broached the idea with Trevor or Sypha?

The arm around her tightened slightly, then relaxed. She blushed a little as she realized her fingers were wrapped tightly in his shirt, and made herself let go.

"I just... need some time," he said finally. "To adjust."

"...well, it's going to take a few weeks to get what we need for the base of the rocket," Anna replied. "Trevor might suggest taking the bases apart, but I don't think he'd actually do it." She half smiled. "Not with how much effort we put in to make them home-like. And he'd never tell you to pull this place apart."

"Thank goodness for small favors."

The tone was dry enough to startle a giggle out of her, and she lightly, affectionately, gave him a one-armed hug. He gently hugged back, before finishing his tea and setting the mug aside.

Silence stretched. Slowly, she realized something was hanging in the air between them, and glanced up to see Adrian looking down at her, warmth in his face, in his eyes.

"...what?"

A small smile crossed his face.

"Trevor told me something interesting while we were on the way to shutting down the gun," he murmured.

"...oh that's not comforting. What did he say?"

It got a laugh out of him, and he gave her a slight, affectionate nuzzle.

"That you aren't used to being loved."

She went still, pulled back enough to see his face again.

"...Adrian..."

"I will respect your wishes," he said, lifting his other hand to lightly brush his fingers over her cheek. "I will not push for more, as you've asked. But I want you to be aware that I will not be pushed away. If there are challenges to be faced, I would prefer to face them with you... as well as Sypha and Trevor."

Anna blinked, and something in her relaxed. Not many people had expressed a desire like this in her life... but then, how many people had she allowed herself to grow close to? After a moment she let out a slow breath; it was something she was going to have to think about for a while. Instead, she shifted to get up, but caught his arm before it dropped.

"You need to rest, Adrian," she said gently. "Same as ever. Come on."

He studied her for a long minute, then nodded slowly, and got to his feet.

* * *

Trevor deployed the mobile vehicle base off the shore of the floating islands not long after sunset, so they could see how badly the moonlight affected Adrian. All else failed, he could duck under the island if he needed to; being in the shadows seemed to help more than a little.

The platform for launching the rocket turned out to be larger than any of them thought, and the splash it made as it came down knocked Trevor off the base, and almost swamped the island shore, forcing Anna, Adrian and Sypha to retreat to higher ground.

"Are you okay down there?" Sypha asked.

"_Peachy_," Trevor grumbled a little.

"Did you hurt yourself?" Anna asked, gripping Adrian's arm both for balance and a little anxiously.

"_Just my pride._"

Sypha glanced over at them, shaking her head a little.

"He's fine."

Adrian chuckled a little, lightly patting Anna's hand as her grip loosened again.

"Let's go see what the onboard computer says," he suggested.

Sypha nodded, and strode out into the waves, leaving Adrian to help Anna.

"I can walk," she said, and though she sounded huffy, she was smiling just a little.

"Yes, but you'll walk better with help, and swim better too."

And he was more than willing to tow her along; would the surgeonbots be able to properly fix her leg when they got back to the space lanes, or would she have a limp for the rest of her life? Firmly, he pushed the question away as they reached the ladder and climbed up.

The platform was more stable than he'd thought it might be; it didn't sway, not with the waves, or the movement of four people walking across it.

"When they say stable platform, they mean it," Sypha said, her tone surprised. "I half thought we'd be fighting against it."

"Gyroscopic stabilizers," Trevor said authoritatively. "You can't launch a rocket if your platform is going to fall over now, can you?"

"...I suppose not. So, what does the computer say?"

"Well, it's not letting me access all the parts... but for the gantry we need some lubricant, plasteel, and copper wire..."

"We have all that in the base," Sypha said. "I even remember which lockers those things are in."

"You're volunteering to be the gopher?" Trevor asked with a grin.

"I mean, if you tease me about it, I'll knock you into the ocean," she retorted, shaking her fist at him lightly in a clearly non-threatening way.

"I could also get the materials, but Sypha knows your base better," Adrian said in amusement.

Trevor nodded slightly.

"Okay. Sypha, go ahead and grab what we need. Let's see how much of this we can make in one go."

* * *

As it turned out, the answer was all of it, though it took almost the entire night, and Adrian was forced to retreat back to the base after two hours. Through luck more than anything else, they managed to have every piece necessary, even if some of those pieces—the ion power cells most specifically—needed to be specially crafted on their own. Every time Sypha came back, however, it was with a new set of pictures for him to scroll through while she dug into the lockers to get what was next needed.

Trevor, Anna, and Sypha all filed in once it was done, looking weary, but satisfied.

"We can leave any any time," Trevor announced.

"No we can't," Anna huffed, then yawned as she came to sit next to Adrian. He lightly slipped an arm around her waist, and she leaned against him on reflex alone, plainly drowsy. "We need to... get the water and food together. Salt some fish. We don't know how... long we'll be out there before we get picked up, Trevor."

"Okay, okay," he flopped onto the other bed with a rueful, tired grin. "Fine, so we need to provision up first. The point still stands; we can leave whenever we want now."

"Sleep first," Sypha mumbled, stretching out on the bed and pulling Trevor down too. "Plan later."

"I think I agree with Sypha," Adrian said in amusement, lightly nudging Anna to lay down too. "Plans are better made after everyone is well rested."

Trevor didn't even bother making a token protest, he just wrapped an arm around Sypha, and pulled her closer, dropping off within moments. Adrian hesitated only briefly before laying next to Anna, but he quickly realized that despite laying down, she wasn't actually asleep.

"...did you decide what you wanted to do?" she murmured.

"Well... there's not much choice to be made," he admitted, gently pulling her closer. "If I'm staying with you, that means I have to come, now doesn't it?"

"...only if you really want to, Adrian."

He thought for a moment, then kissed her forehead. That was an acceptable friend thing, wasn't it? He'd seen Trevor and Sypha both do it to her, and to each other. Anna shivered just a little, but didn't pull away.

"I really want to," he said softly.

"...okay... go to sleep."

"You first."

She huffed, and he smiled to feel the warmth of her breath against his neck.

"Pushy."

"Yes," he agreed placidly. "Go to sleep."

* * *

Survivor's log, Anna Torres.

We've built the rocket. Now all we need at the food and water supplies, and then we'll blast off into space again.

Adrian says he wants to come. I'm hoping he's being truthful. After ten years, I think he's adapted to this planet so well that going to another is going to cause a mess of problems, not the least with his lung capacity, so I hope that whatever rescue ship finds us has a more-than-minimal medbay.

I don't know that he'll ever be fully well, but once we get back to Alterra space, we can get him a medical monitor of some type. Then he can use his data pad to keep track of any issues, or hire a medical aide to accompany him.

My biggest worry is what will happen to the planet. If Alterra tries to planet claim, we're going to have an astronomical bill, just for all the work needed to survive. It's not even their planet to claim, not really. Not if Adrian exercises his colonization rights.

I wonder if he'll think of that...


	23. Twenty two

Twenty two

"We've got food, we've got water, we've got chairs..." Trevor looked up as Adrian finished his climb to the top of the ladder, "and we've got people."

"All systems are online," Sypha said, smiling brightly. "Did you finish everything you needed?"

Adrian nodded, and tried to stifle how anxious it made him feel. Letting the little cuddlefish go in the shallows had been the hardest thing he'd done so far... But there was no way of safely bringing it along, and quarantine procedures wouldn't have treated it well. Better to let it stay on the planet, in something close to its natural habitat.

Or what he _hoped_ was its natural habitat. None of them had ever seen a wild cuddlefish, after all...

"All right," Trevor grinned a little. "Last call for bathroom breaks and snacks until we're at the phasegate~"

They had set the launch for nighttime out of courtesy to him, but all it had really done was make it hard to sleep. Which made everyone just a _little_ bit loopy. It wasn't entirely a bad thing; it helped to mask the anxiety well enough...

He jolted a little as Anna reached over and put a hand on his arm. He half-turned, looking down at her, and felt a small bit of relief that she wasn't acting like Trevor, who clearly couldn't wait to leave. He saw sympathy and compassion in her eyes, though she refrained from saying anything.

It helped.

He put a hand over hers and squeezed lightly; she squeezed gently back, then nudged him towards a chair.

"Sit down and strap in, because we are _leaving_," Trevor announced.

Adrian sat, but before Anna could pull away, he tugged at her insistently. He was going to override her boundary, probably annoy her, but he was feeling...

Well, he was afraid.

She leaned in, concern flickering through her eyes, and he quickly moved in to give her a soft kiss.

He knew it startled her from the way she went still, but she didn't move away, or push him back. She also didn't _kiss_ back, and he pulled away cautiously after a moment, studying her face; had he angered her?

No, she looked... stunned. A bit bewildered. A blush coated her cheeks, and he wanted to kiss her again, but knew he'd probably get in actual trouble if he did.

Later, he hoped. Once he'd satisfied her concerns about mental health, which he did intend to.

She released his hand slowly, and turned away, still looking bewildered, and headed over to one of the other chairs. Maybe it wasn't fair of him to feel smug at the slight weaving of her step, but he couldn't quite help it.

As he buckled in, and made sure his oxygen mask was close at hand if he needed it, he glanced over at Sypha, who flashed him a small grin; Trevor, sitting in the captain's seat, had missed it, but she had not. Her clear approval helped with the feeling that perhaps Anna _hadn't_ appreciated that, though he resolved that next time he really would ask first.

"Everyone's secure, Trevor," Sypha said, turning her grin on her boyfriend.

"Then it's time to get back to civilization!"

_Launch in 10. 9. 8._

Adrian gripped the armrests of his chair as the rocket engines hummed to life. He was leaving the planet. After ten long, exhausting years, he was _leaving_ the _planet_.

_ 7\. 6. 5._

He was cured of the kharaa thanks to the efforts of these three people, his friends, his... Well, he wasn't sure of what further relationships might develop, but they had saved his life, and that could not go unrewarded.

_4\. 3. 2._

Who would pick them up after they reached the space lanes? Would it be an Alterran ship? Or would it be a freelancer?

_1._

The rocket vibrations grew stronger as the engines roared, thrusting them all back into their seats. Adrian hear Sypha swearing slightly, and glanced over to see a discomforted look on her face. Glancing the other way, he saw that Anna had her eyes tightly closed, and a white-knuckle grip on her own armrests. The chairs were too far apart to reach out to either woman, but he wished he could, even as the pressure of lift-off made him lift a hand and push the oxygen mask over his face.

_Caution: approaching orbital debris field._

The shield generator flared into being as the rocket continued straight ahead; debris from the Aurora hit the shield with enough force to shake the entire rocket, and Adrian heard Trevor swearing as a panel dislodged. They would have to fix the once the ship slowed...

_Orbital debris field clear. Performing gravity turn maneuver._

With the softest puffs of air, the ship realigned. The planet came into view below them; mostly shades of blue, but even from their current orbit, there were small patches of land that added greens and browns to the surface.

"We barely saw even a tenth of the planet," Sypha murmured. "What would it have been like, if we could have come here on purpose?"

"A lot less frustrating?" Trevor offered.

Adrian could hear the grin in his voice, and saw Sypha roll her eyes in tolerant humor before he returned his gaze to the planet. His home for ten years... would this be the last he saw of it?

_Confirm destination coordinates; nearest interstellar phasegate._

Trevor turned in his chair, and hit something that beeped softly as they rotated around the planet; Adrian hissed a little as the sun came into view, shielding his eyes. With no atmosphere in the way, he was-

In shade?

He opened his eyes carefully; despite the fact that it was likely a bad idea, Anna had gotten out of her seat and now stood in front of him, blocking the sun from hitting fragile skin.

_Engaging ion boosters in 3. 2. 1._

Adrian tipped his head, taking a last, lingering look at the planet that had been both his worst enemy and his home. Then he lifted his hands and caught Anna as the boosters engaged, and they flew forward through a tunnel of blue, black, and electric sparks that eventually merged into whitness.

_What is a wave without an ocean?_

He jolted, and felt her do the same; that vast, strong touch still reaching them from the planet they had left behind was no accident.

_A beginning, without an end?_ She continued. _They are different, but go together._

His arms tightened around Anna, and he put his chin on her head as she was pressed back against him. She turned in his hold, and he felt her breath on his neck as her arms wrapped around him in return.

_Now you go among the stars, and I fall into the sands. We are different... but we go. Together._

* * *

"_Neptune rocket, we see you. Aligning our orbit._"

They had made it to the phasegate in record time, mostly thanks to the power stored in the ion cubes that had become ion power cells. A rescue ship of Alterran design, but not Alterran staff, had met them there after three days, and was in the process of alignment so that the ships could connect.

"We'll probably be in quarantine for a little bit," Anna murmured, uneasily twisting her fingers together. "Just until the confirm that we don't have any infections to pass along to their crew."

"Well, if we're in quarantine together, that's fine," Sypha said firmly.

Anna wasn't so sure they would be, and she cast a worried glance at Adrian, who had been tense ever since the ship had hailed them. Forget having three people he didn't know, this was likely to be upwards of fifty, given the size of the ship now in view. It looked like it would have a proper enough med-bay, but would he be willing to tolerate people he didn't know giving him examinations and giving their medical opinions on what needed to be done to help him return to life on a land-based planet?

There was a soft hiss as the rescue ship deployed the flexible umbilical tunnel, and a few minutes later,someone knocked on the main hatch.

"Here we go," Trevor muttered, and headed down the ladder to let the new people in.

* * *

The rescue ship was a passenger liner, mostly. A full med-bay was part of their layout, and it was to this medbay the four of them were brought. The number of new voices, smells, and sounds was an assault on Adrian's senses, and he held tightly to the hands that Anna and Sypha had offered to him.

They were all holding hands, really; Trevor was in the lead with Anna on his left, and Sypha on his right, his speed checked by their grip. But he hadn't complained, and if Adrian was any judge, seemed to be getting as much comfort as he was out of the connection.

The medbay was a sterile white and silver, almost blinding in its cleanliness.

"...if you could each step behind one of the screens and disrobe for the auto-doc exam," the crewman said politely. "A physician will join you shortly."

Adrian reflexively tightened his grip. Separate. In this place?

"It's okay Adrian," Anna said quietly, turning to look at him. "It's only for a few minutes, and we'll be in the cubicles next to you. Just breathe."

Just breathe.

It was startlingly _hard_ to breathe in this environment. While he could take deeper breaths, remembering to do so was still something of a work in progress, and relying on the oxygen tank for the compressed O2 was a matter of habit.

Trevor reached over and put a hand on his shoulder. Sypha hugged his arm gently.

"Anna's right. We're right here," he said firmly. "We're not going to let anything happen to you."

He let out the breath he'd been unconsciously holding, and tried to relax. It still took an additional five minutes before he could make himself let go of Anna's hand and step into one of the opaque cubicles.

* * *

_Decontamination spray in progress. Please remain still._

Anna grimaced, closing her eyes tightly as the standard decontamination mist came at her from all sides. It carried a sharp smell that made her want to sneeze—in the next booth over she could hear Trevor _actually_ sneezing—and had her taking shallow breaths.

If there had been a way to hold hands between booths, or even to be in the same one... it might have been embarrassing, a little, to be nude, but it would have been more comforting than this separation. If not for her, then for Adrian, who's anxiety was practically off the charts.

_Scan in progress. Please remain still._

She cracked her eyes open as the familiar blue light of a scanner washed over her.

_Foreign bacteria present in bloodstream_, the computer announced.

She grimaced; clearly though it had been a couple of weeks, there was still lingering dormant kharaa in her blood. Well, it wasn't too surprising; she'd only taken full doses when Adrian got involved, and while the pure enzyme had shut all the kharaa down, it hadn't expelled it from their systems.

Not to mention it was still in the water. It would take a few years for the kharaa to be properly eradicated from the planet, depending on how fast the sea emperor leviathan babies grew, and how quickly the ocean could spread the enzyme.

A slot appeared in the cubicle's back wall, robotic arms popping out with a needle and IV tube.

_Please extend arm for blood draw to ensure foreign bacterium is non-threatening._

Anna grimaced a little, and she heard soft muttering from the cubicle to her left.

Adrian...

"It's okay Adrian," she said, putting one hand on the wall between them. "It's just a precaution. Hold out your arm like it's me giving you a shot of the vaccine."

"This is not the same," he grumbled.

"I know. But please? It'll be over faster."

She didn't like it either, and wished she could at least see his face, even as she extended her other arm to the auto-doc. She hated having her blood drawn by a machine, but there were so few humans who actually did the drawing these days...

_Blood draw complete. You may lower your arm._

She pulled it back to her chest, absently rubbing the spot where the needle had gone in. Painless, maybe, but uncomfortable just the same.

_Examination complete. New clothes have been provided. A physician will join you shortly._

A slot in the wall popped open, revealing a unisex jumper, underthings, and ship shoes, all of which Anna was more than happy to pull on so that she could step back out into the room.

* * *

"_We'd like you to remain in the isolation ward for a few days, until the traces of foreign bacteria are completely expelled from your bodies,_" the physician said, his voice a crackle through the med-bay speakers. "_It'll be a bit dull, but once we're certain there's no risk to anyone, we can work on integrating you into the rest of the passengers._"

"What all will happen while we're in the isolation ward?" Anna asked.

"_Daily blood draws and scans... your companion there needs some surgical procedures as well, which we can manage. With luck, we'll have you all fit and ready by the time we reach the Alterra main planet in a couple months._"

Adrian gripped Anna's hand tightly. More blood draws. More scans. At the hands of strangers? Auto-docs?

"Will we be able to see each other?" Sypha asked.

"_See and communicate, though we'd like to ask you to remain apart so that you don't accidentally reinfect one another._"

Isolation. To see them and talk, but not touch? Adrian felt his breath hitch slightly; there had to be another way.

"We can't do that," and Anna's voice surprised him in its firmness. "A member of the team has suffered severe psychological trauma and requires constant contact to maintain stability."

"_A psychological evaluation will be administered soon enough,_" the physician said, annoyance entering his tone.

"No, you don't understand," Trevor replied, and his annoyance was much more obvious. "He spent ten years on a planet that tried to kill him, _alone_. He needs one of us to stay with him."

The edges of the world were graying out, and Adrian realized even as he swayed that he'd been taking shallow breaths. He felt Anna turn, place her hand on his chest, and sagged a little against her.

"Deep breath, Adrian," she murmured. "In... and out. That's right."

The gray cleared away, though he still felt light-headed enough to keep leaning on her.

"_...the monitoring system indicates that your companion is having trouble breathing._" And _now_ the doctor sounded concerned.

"He is," Anna replied tersely as she helped Adrian to sit on the floor. "Count of five breath Adrian. That's it... And breathe out."

"We're _not_ separating," Trevor said firmly, scowling indiscriminately up at the ceiling.

It was the last thing Adrian heard before being abruptly swamped by unconsciousness.

* * *

They were separated into four cubicles with transparent plas-glass between them. Adrian was put in the corner one, which was moderately larger than the other three, and hooked up to several monitors that would track various vitals. Trevor was in the one next to him, having been rather forcefully sedated to avoid him punching the robot escorts.

It would have been funny if it hadn't been infuriating. Sypha was pacing her small room rapidly, looking up every few minutes to check on the men across the hall. Anna sat on the provided bed silently, hands folded in her lap. Her eyes were fixed on Adrian's cubicle, and concern warred with a deep, abiding fury.

Anger wasn't a new emotion; she could be angry, she just usually didn't act on it. But Adrian had been drugged against his will, without his consent. _Trevor_ had been forcefully sedated, and the only reason she and Sypha had escaped the same fate was because they hadn't been trying to act violently against the escort-bots.

The only furniture in the room was bolted down, but she caught a glimpse of Sypha kicking the chair anyways, swearing sharply.

"We're being treated like criminals!" she snapped. "Just because we were trying to ensure Adrian's mental health!"

Anna nodded silently in agreement. If she'd had a few more moments to walk him through deep breathing, he would have been fine. Now he was over there, unconscious and likely to be put in a medical coma for observation while they waited for the last of the kharaa to leave their systems.

It wasn't right.

"When I get my hands on that man-"

Sypha broke off in a bout of furious Italian swearing that Anna elected to not translate. Not that she didn't share the sentiment. True, she wasn't the type to yell, but after this treatment, she thought it was more than justified. Just because she was still technically a medical _student_, not a licensed professional, she was going to be ignored?

Oh no.

This was _not_ going to stand.

* * *

He felt like he was trying to push through a mass of creepvines in his attempt to wake up. Confusion blanketed his thoughts; the last thing he remembered was Anna's voice, and Trevor's voice, but... there was no warm presence near him. He was... on a bed, but he was _alone_ on a bed.

Had all of it just been one long hallucination? Was he still alone in his base, waiting for his own death?

Adrian tried to roll onto his side and found the he could only just move. His breath hitched as he strained against whatever was pinning him.

An alarm shrilled nearby, even as something snapped, and he rolled abruptly over the edge and onto a solid floor, feeling pads pop off his skin.

_Please remain calm. A physician will see you shortly._

His head cleared a little more, and he pushed himself to his hands and knees. When he looked up, he saw Trevor on the other side of clear plas-glass, one hand pressed to the wall. There was anger in the other man's eyes, but also relief.

Not a dream then. But where was Anna? Sypha?

He staggered to his feet, stumbling forward with enough force to hit the wall between himself and Trevor. Trevor's other hand came up, but he couldn't feel the warmth of that touch though the thick glass. His hands began curling into fists, and he entertained the thought of trying to punch through it...

"Easy," Trevor said, and though muffled, his voice calmed Adrian's panic a little. "The girls are over there," and he pointed.

Adrian followed the gesture, and let out a slow breath. Anna and Sypha were visible across a short hall. Sypha looked somewhere between pissed off and relieved; Anna looked calm.

Too calm.

After a moment, he turned back to Trevor, undeniably certain that Anna was going to explode on someone for what had happened. He almost wanted to be there when she did.

What _had_ happened?

"The last thing I... remember was... sitting on the floor. Trying to breathe."

"The auto-doc darted you with a sedative," Trevor replied, scowling. "Guess they thought Anna couldn't help. They hooked you up to the monitors and things once you were in the bed, and strapped you down..."

Adrian looked down at his wrist, and the snapped strap still around it. With a grimace he pulled it off and tossed it back onto the bed.

"Have I been out very long?"

"Long enough..."

"Trevor can't tell you because he got sedated too," Sypha called, her voice a mix of anger and amusement. "He tried to punch the escort-bots."

Trevor made an annoyed sound, and the familiarity made Adrian smile, just slightly.

"It's been just over twelve hours," she continued. "There should be food in the meal slot for you."

Adrian glanced at Anna, who nodded slightly. It worried him that she wasn't speaking...

"Eat something," Sypha advised. "Before someone really _does_ show up to try and reconnect all those wires you broke."

* * *

"No, you don't understand," Anna said, fighting to keep her voice calm. "Mr. Tepes has been down at four hundred meters under the ocean for a _decade_, _by himself_. Considering that in the late twentieth century they decreed solitary confinement to be psychological torture, I think you ought to be able to understand why _I am very concerned_ about him being _isolated_ again."

"Ms Torres, he's not-"

"_He is_. He's touch starved, for goodness sake! You think he's going to tolerate an enforced separation? _He broke the bed restraints!_" She glared as the man through the plas-glass wall. "You're going to be _lucky_ if doesn't break something else the next time he has an anxiety flare up because you're _not_ _thinking_ about the psychological damage he's living with!"

"The auto-docs will-"

"The auto-docs will make it _worse_," she snapped. "You sedated him _without consent_! I could have talked him calm again, but you didn't even give me the time to _finish trying!_"

It was hard to stay seated in the chair, but she knew full well that if she tried to get up, if she made one threatening move towards the man—never mind that he was perfectly safe behind the plas-glass wall—she'd be the next to get sedation.

If she got sedated, there would be no containing any of them.

"It doesn't have to be me," she continued, "if can be any one of us, but he _needs_ the physical contact with someone to keep him steady."

"He will be given a full psychological evaluation once-"

"_You're not listening!_" The snarl in her voice actually seemed to give the physician pause, and Anna took in a breath. "Imagine for a moment, that you've lived in VR your whole life. You can see people. You can hear them. You _cannot_ touch them. Not the ones you love, not the ones you hate. Not even the people you're indifferent to and walk by on a daily basis. That's been _his_ life for _ten years_. No auto-doc sedation, or medical coma is going to change the very real fact that he needs human contact!"

"Ms. Torres, your medical studies are-"

"My lack of _training_ isn't the point!" she cried. "You're lack of _empathy _is!"

It was funny how startled he was by her vehemence; she was mostly insulted by the lack of concern he was giving to Adrian. To all of them, really, but mostly Adrian. And because she was the one in the small crew that _had_ minimal medical training, it was up to her to raise these concerns to the doctor in charge, and _make him listen_.

He still wasn't listening, and she could see it in his face. He was going to dismiss everything she'd said, simply because she was only half-trained, a medical aide at best.

"We simply want to ensure that there's no potential for-"

"The kharaa is neutralized," she snapped. "It's been steadily fading from our blood since we touched enzyme 42. We're not contagious, and you damn well know it! You wouldn't have pulled me out of my room if you thought I could pass contaminates, and outside of Ad-Mr. Tepes, I was the one most infected when I was trying to keep them _safe_."

"Ms. Torres, you are becoming overwrought."

"Well maybe if you'd _listen_, I wouldn't be _upset!_"

* * *

"How much longer do you think they're going to keep her?"

Adrian looked up from the tray of food he'd been picking at, across the room to where Anna's empty chamber was. Oh, the escort-bot had been polite enough in asking her to follow, and it had been given enough programming to explain what she was wanted for, but it still left them all uneasy. So Sypha's question wasn't exactly out of the blue.

Unfortunately, there was really no way of knowing.

"Do you really think all they wanted to talk about was the kharaa?" Trevor asked.

"Maybe... Though if they wanted to do that, Adrian probably would have been the better choice."

Adrian half-smiled, but shook his head slightly.

"I have the bio-chemical knowledge, but Anna can put it into terms other doctors will understand," he said. "It's likely that once they've exhausted what she knows, I will... be allowed to share my knowledge, but-"

The door at the end of the hall hissed open, and they all got to their feet, Adrian putting his tray aside with moderate hope.

They expected Anna to come walking in on her own two feet, maybe still angry, but mobile. Instead, the escort-bot was pushing her in a hover chair, and she was slumped to one side.

Anger curled in Adrian's stomach as he watched the escort bot very carefully lift Anna onto her bed. They had sedated her? What on earth for?!

"What's going on?" Sypha demanded, being the first to find her voice as the escort-bot stepped out of the room. "What happened to Anna?!"

_Patient Anna Torres became extremely emotional during her interview with Physician Winthrop-Smith, and required sedation. _The escort-bot replied. _She is expected to come around in 1 hour._

Trevor hissed out a heartfelt curse as Sypha spluttered in angry surprise.

Adrian stepped forward.

"Tell Physician Winthrop-Smith that Adrian Tepes of Tepes Industries requests a conversation. _Now._"

* * *

Waking up was slow, right up until she moved. It was slight and subtle, just a twitch of her fingers as she tried to figure out what happened, but that small movement made her body go from numb to practically on fire.

Just breathe. She just had to keep breathing, and this would go away.

"Anna? Anna?!"

Sypha's voice. Sypha's concern. She had to respond so that Sypha would be okay. But moving hurt so _much_.

Somehow, she managed to lift her arm, though it was haltingly slow.

"Anna, what's wrong?"

Trevor now, across the hall.

Even breathing hurt... Why did it hurt, what had..?

Oh.

Right.

Physician Winthrop-Smith had chosen to have her sedated instead of listening to her argue with him any further. Had the sedative been formulated wrong, was that why this hurt so much?

She had to sit up, had to... had to move, to show Trevor that she was fine, just groggy, just...

Moving hurt too much; despite her best attempts a small whimper escaped.

"Anna, say something?" Sypha asked in concern.

There was a small bang from across the hall, followed by muffled swearing. Despite the pain, she felt a snicker bubble up; she knew her cousin well enough to think he'd hit the glass.

But...

Slowly, hating every second of movement, she lifted her head.

Where was Adrian?

* * *

"Now Mr. Tepes," Winthrop-Smith said, his tone wheedling, "please, be reasonable."

Adrian folded his arms over his chest, and stared at the man.

"It is my right to request a different doctor. Since your solution to everything is sedation, I am requesting we speak to, and be treated by, a doctor who will give us due consideration. And if you do _not_ comply, I am quite willing to hijack the intercom system to make the request audible to _everyone on the ship_."

He couldn't actually do that, but judging by the look on Winthrop-Smith's face, the threat that he _might_ broadcast to the rest of the ship was bad enough. The man leaned over and pressed a button on his desk with clear reluctance. It didn't take long for another doctor to enter the room; an elderly looking man with a soft cloud of white hair, and strong Asiatic features.

"Hello," he said, bowing politely at Adrian, who relaxed minutely. "I am Dr. Xheng. Do you have questions I can help with?"

"I have a few, yes, but I would prefer to not speak with Physician Winthrop-Smith still in the room."

Dr. Xheng gave the other man a mild look; it was with grumpy reluctance that the other man left.

"Now then, what can I do to help you, Mr. Tepes?"

"It's like this..."

* * *

Anna startled a little at a faintly hydraulic hiss; the pain had faded enough that she was able to half-sit up without wanting to cry, which let her watch in befuddled astonishment as the plas-glass walls sank into the floor. True, not all of them, the barrier to the rest of the ship remained, but the four cubicles were now no longer separate.

She sat up the rest of the way slowly, unable to keep herself from hunching over in a defensive sort of curl as Trevor and Sypha both hurried over to her.

"Anna, what's wrong?" Sypha asked, hands hovering in concern but not actually touching. "Are you feeling ill?"

"Did that asshole try something?" Trevor demanded.

"N... no," she managed through gritted teeth. "Must just be a... side-effect of the s... sedation..."

That didn't make either of them happy, but to be fair, nothing would until she was pain free. She tried to straighten, but that was too much movement to maintain, and she quickly curled in on herself again, choosing to lay down before she fell over and hurt herself for real.

The door opened, and she saw them both turn towards it; Trevor moved protectively in front of her and Sypha, which blocked her view of whoever was coming closer. Two people, if the footsteps were any indication.

"Hello," and Anna didn't recognize the voice, couldn't see the man who'd accompanied Adrian until Trevor deigned to move out of her line of sight. "I am Dr. Jaden Xheng, the primary physician onboard the Pirouette. Please excuse my younger colleague; he has only recently joined the medical team and is not as versed as he should be in matters that benefit patients.

"He won't be attending to you further after what I've learned from Mr. Tepes, and watched of Ms. Torres's interview, and I am heavily sorry that he has caused you all mental and physical distress."

Trevor finally moved, though it was more so that Adrian could crowd close to Anna in overt concern. She shied away from the touch of his hand, biting back against the hiss of pain even as she saw a flash of hurt in his eyes.

"...Anna?" his voice was gentle.

"Is something wrong?"

Now the other man came into view, studying her with thoughtful care.

"M... fine," she mumbled.

The man raised a brow, his face filing with a gentle good humor.

"My dear, if you're curled up like that, you are not fine. Mr. Tepes, if you could move aside, please?"

Adrian did, though he stayed within view; when Sypha put an arm through his, and Trevor a hand on his shoulder, he relaxed noticeably. Mild relief slipped through her, though she jumped, letting out a hiss of pain as Dr. Xheng pressed a button on the bed that triggered a familiar blue light. A panel near the bed chirped, and he nodded, a small, displeased frown crossing his face briefly.

"An abnormal reaction to sedation, but one we can certainly counter, if you'll allow it?"

She hesitated, then glanced at Adrian who nodded.

"...okay..."

Dr. Xheng pressed another button, and a fine mist sprayed out, briefly enveloping her in a damp egg. The pain ebbed, and she slowly sat up again, shivering slightly.

"What... what happened?"

"Physician Winthrop-Smith misjudged the dose of calming sedative, and your body was fighting back with a greater ferocity than usual," Dr. Xheng replied. "Not doubt due in part to the enzyme 42 still in your system."

She blinked at him, surprised.

"You're... not worried about infection?"

"Of course not. With the many notes and details about the kharaa and what you discovered about enzyme 42, I'm quite sure that non of you are even remotely contagious, especially not to each other." He smiled a little ruefully. "Unfortunately, procedure takes precedence, so you'll have to remain here until the kharaa has fully cleared from your bloodstream. I, and the others, will do what we can to keep you from being _too_ bored, and then once you're clear, we'll see about setting you up in the cabins."

"...we stay together," Trevor said lowly.

"Yes, I am aware," and Dr. Xheng showed no sign of intimidation at Trevor's cranky attitude. "I'm sure there's one or two suites that are available. I'll leave you for now, but if you need me, Mr. Tepes has my code."

He bowed politely to them and walked out of the room. Without shaking off either Trevor or Sypha, Adrian moved in until he could take Anna's hands. She smiled weakly, and squeezed lightly.

"Well. That could have been worse..."

"Yes," he agreed. "Fortunately, once I told the physician who I was, he became very... cooperative in summoning the one in charge. I think we can believe him when he says we won't be subjected to that particular physician's attentions again."

"Good," Sypha said with a small scowl. "I would like to eat him for breakfast."

"He'd probably give you indigestion," Trevor replied with a wry smile.

"It would be worth it!"

Anna just leaned forward until her head was on Adrian's chest, and giggled.

* * *

Survival log, Anna Torres

...well, I suppose it's not a survivor's log any more. Wonder what I should change it to?

Now that the know Adrian is the long missing heir of Tepes Industries, not to mention one of Alterra's board of directors, the whole attitude has changed... arguably for the better. Dr. Xheng made sure Adrian has several appointments to see the on-staff psychologist, and didn't even quibble when he insisted I be part of these meetings.

I'm not entirely sure it's a good idea, but at the same time, keeping Adrian calm so that he remembers to breathe properly _is_. I wonder if it's because he wants to reassure me that he's trying to improve his mental stability?

I suppose it doesn't matter.

Dr. Xheng said that we should only be in here for another two or three days at most, considering how fast the dormant kharaa is being flushed now that we have uninfected water and food again. I've also been told that there's proper baths and showers in the suites, and I admit, Sypha's idea of a long, hot bubble bath sounds _really_ nice.

Once we're cleared to mingle... I wonder how much they'll go out from the room?


	24. Twenty three

Twenty three

Anna propped her hands on her hips and glared up into the face of Physician Winthrop-Smith. Just how many times was she going to have to deal with this man before he got the actual clue? She knew Dr. Xheng had done his best to keep the physician away from them since their release from the isolation ward, but he only had so much control over the scheduling of staff, and while they had met several other physicians and assistants over the past two weeks while discussing treatment options for Adrian, _this particular one_ seemed to take it as a personal affront that he'd been rejected.

"You need to let me into the room," she said shortly.

"You're not part of the appointment, Ms. Torres."

"If you check the notes made on Adrian's condition, you'll see that he'd requested I be there, _regardless_ of what the appointment is."

She didn't like sitting in when he spoke to the psychologist; it made her uncomfortable, but she went anyways, because she knew Adrian was trying to show her he was doing what she'd asked. Medical appointments though, especially the ones pertaining to the surgeries necessary for him to live on a planet again...

Adrian's voice from inside the room had raised. Not a good sign. They hadn't tried to use sedation on him since that first day, but that didn't mean they wouldn't _try_ if he got too worked up.

"You can move, or someone can get hurt," Anna warned.

"Ms. Torres-"

Whatever condescending comment he was about to make was preempted by a crash from the room, and some startled swearing. Done with trying to dance around the man's attitude, Anna shoved past him and palmed the door open, hurrying in.

Adrian had grabbed the attendant nurse by the collar of his shirt, and had him a few inches off the ground. In his other hand was a syringe, and there was a blank look on his face. Anna darted over, ducking Winthrop-Smith's grasping hands, and grabbed Adrian by the arm. Her weight was not significant enough to force Adrian to lower the attendant to the floor, but it _was_ enough to get Adrian's attention.

He blinked a few times, and refocused on her, then slowly put the man down before staggering back to sit on his stool. Quickly she nipped the syringe from his hand before he could stab himself in the face with it when he went to put his face in his hands, then turned and scowled at the two men.

"It's in his notes," she said frostily. "One of the us is supposed to be in the room with him. You are to explain things _in detail_ so that he does not react like this. You are _not_ to do anything to him _without_ one of us, because he won't tolerate it."

"Ms. Torres, you are interrupting-"

"_I _am making sure _no one gets hurt_," she snapped. "Not him, and not any of you!"

"Hey, what's all the-oh for the love of..."

Anna's mood lightened slightly; she _liked_ Eliza Zenni. While not a full-fledged doctor herself, Eliza had the sense that most of the male attending physicians lacked, and enough authority to actually ensure that Anna's requests were heard and answered.

"You," and Eliza pointed at Winthrop-Smith. "_Out_. How many times does Dr. Xheng have to tell you to not be involved with them? You get reported again, and you're going to be confined to quarters."

"She's not part of-" he started, red-faced in embarrassed outrage.

"_She's part of the chart_," Eliza snapped. "It's page one of the notes, which you would know if you bothered to read! Out! You too!"

And she pointed at the other physician, who was quite happy to escape the room. Winthrop-Smith glared at her, but when Eliza didn't back down, grumpily left the room as well. She sighed in exasperation, shaking her head.

"I think Physician Darre is on rotation, but it'll take me a bit to track her down. Can you...?"

Anna nodded; it was going to take some time to calm Adrian down from this, judging by how he was hunched over still.

"Thanks," she said as Eliza turned to go.

"Of course. I'll tell Dr. Xheng about this too, don't you worry."

The door hissed closed, and Anna turned to Adrian with a small sigh. One step forward, three steps back.

Again.

After a moment, she shook her head slightly, and reached out to gently stroke his hair.

* * *

"I'd really like to just punt him out an airlock," Trevor grumbled, arms crossed over his chest as he leaned back in his chair.

"You're not alone there," Anna sighed, rubbing her face tiredly. "I know there's only so much they can do, but it's like he's made it his goal to be as officious and obstructing as possible."

She glanced towards the bedroom where Adrian was resting, curled up with Sypha who had volunteered to nap with him after her swim. He'd be out for an hour at least, maybe two after that particularly stressful event, which gave her a chance to relax as well.

"He's doing better though, isn't he?"

"Some days are better than others, and it's probably going to be like that for the rest of his life," Anna replied. "But I think he's made steady enough progress. I know they've turned on a low-level of anti-anxiety in his nanites that helps him... _tolerate_ more than he would otherwise. It usually gives me an extra ten minutes to get into the room."

Trevor snorted a little, and reached over to ruffle her hair lightly. She let him for a moment before pushing his hand off.

"I do like Zenni," Trevor said after a moment. "Darre's not bad either. And the psyche, uh..."

"Valentine," she supplied.

"Right, Valentine. Does pretty good by him. Though, did he tell you why Zenni makes him edgy yet?"

She shook her head.

"I don't think he's figured it out," Anna said with a small shrug. "He tolerates her a little more than the others... and a _lot_ more than any male-aligned attendant. But he still isn't letting anyone else touch him, not after that last incident..."

Trevor grimaced.

"You're at least getting hands on training?" he offered.

"I'm a year away from finishing med school, and then I still need at least three for residency, I shouldn't be doing _any_ of it," she pointed out with a small groan. "I'm trying to read what I can while I'm here, but it's not the _same,_ Trevor..."

He sat up properly, scooted his chair over, and half-laid on her in an attempt at a comforting hug. It was absurd enough that she couldn't help but smile.

"You're squishing me."

"Well, you seem to need one," he replied. "Look, don't get so down. Adrian trusts you, even if you're not entirely trained."

"It's not _Adrian_ I need to have trusting me," she replied, elbowing him gently. "Though I bet even with full training Winthrop-Smith would still be trying to block me out."

"Seriously. You're _sure_ we can't airlock him?"

She huffed a small laugh, and shook her head. Trevor sighed theatrically, then hugged her fondly.

"Spoilsport."

"Given that you _and_ Sypha want to do that, _one_ of us has to be practical," she replied.

"No you don't."

"_Trevor_."

He grinned at her, making her shake her head again.

"You're impossible," she said fondly.

"Yes, that's why you love me."

* * *

This was, perhaps, not his best idea. Anna had taken one look at the gathering and made herself scarce, and Adrian found he couldn't quite blame her. The music wasn't bad, but the darkness and the flashing lights weren't doing him many favors. How had he let Trevor talk him into come down to this particular dance room again?

He caught a glimpse of his friends as Trevor and Sypha mingled with other people on the dance floor and couldn't help but smile. Ah yes, right, because they had both asked, and had promised they'd do their best to include him. Not quite a _date_, but not far off from it, he suspected.

He sipped the drink Trevor had brought to the small table, and spared a moment to wish that Anna had elected to stay; it would have been nice to sit with her while he waited for Trevor and Sypha to tire out... but at the same time, he could understand her reservations. She didn't actually much like leaving the suite they'd been granted unless it was necessary.

Adrian didn't either. This was actually his first foray to a part of the ship that wasn't medical. There was just so _many_ people, so _many_ sounds. His tolerance had improved a little over the past month, but he wasn't too sure he'd be able to make it much longer.

Trevor staggered over after another track or so, looking a bit winded, and decidedly on his way to being modestly drunk.

"Sure you don't want to come out on the floor?" he asked over the music.

Adrian just nodded; the dancing in this room was a far cry from the old-fashioned things he knew, and while he could arguably make a good show, there was just... too many bodies for it to really feel comfortable.

"You okay?"

He nodded again, sipping at his drink. He didn't much like alcohol, but it was customary at society parties to have at least one glass. He'd had his nanites adjusted when he was younger so that they scooped it all up to avoid it affecting him after one rather nasty event, and had never gotten it turned off before he'd left. Which made him look, rather, like he had incredible tolerance.

"If you have much more to drink, you're not going to be dancing so much as stumbling over your feet," he said as Trevor took a swig of what he'd left on the table. "I don't think Sypha would appreciate that much."

Trevor just grinned, a flare of light illuminating the alcohol-related flush of his face. Adrian shook his head after a moment, smiling wryly. He couldn't exactly _stop_ Trevor from drinking, and... well, it was kind of amusing to watch his friends having fun.

Sypha joined them after a moment, combing her hair back with her fingers.

"Do you need to leave?" she asked. "You're looking a bit..."

She waved her hands slightly, plainly unable to find the right word.

"I may need to step out for a bit for some air," he admitted. "It is getting a bit... close in here."

"Want me to call Anna?"

Adrian shook his head slightly; Anna had probably found a place to hide, and he was loathe to disturb her. Despite everything, she was still being required to spend a good amount of time with them, and dealing with other people. She deserved some time to herself.

"...okay, but you let me know if you need to leave." And Sypha pointed at him sternly. "Don't push yourself too hard."

He smiled warmly at her, nodding, and watched in amusement as she dragged Trevor back out to the floor.

He could tolerate this for a _little_ bit longer.

* * *

"I knew we should have cut him off after the third one," Sypha sighed a little, shifting a little under the weight of Trevor's arm.

"M'fiiiine," he slurred.

"You can't walk in a straight line," Adrian pointed out in dry amusement as he helped her steer the very drunk man towards the suite they'd been given.

"Can too!"

"Trevor, you're tripping over your own feet with two people supporting you," Sypha said, exasperated. "You caused a small pile up on the dance floor when you went down!"

That had certainly been exciting. And unnerving, for a moment Adrian had though Trevor might be truly hurt, but he'd bounced back up rather like he was made of rubber... and the only reason he hadn't fallen again was because Sypha had manged to get under his arm and drag him off the floor.

"Yeh, bu I got you, so is all good," Trevor said with a somewhat dazed grin.

She just shook her head, somewhere between amusement and exasperation. Adrian hid a smile as he carefully palmed their door open and moved sideways to get Trevor to a chair.

"We should just drop you in a cold shower," Sypha said, shaking her head.

"I think we'd wake Anna," Adrian said, glancing towards the dark bedroom.

"...true. No, Trevor, stay _in_ the chair, or you'll-"

Adrian caught Trevor as he tripped over his own feet again, carefully helping him to stand back up; if there was one thing the kharaa had actually done that was beneficial, it was increase the density of his muscles so that Trevor didn't actually feel that heavy.

Which was good, because apparently he'd decided to drape himself over Adrian.

Sypha shook her head a little, and it was plain from her expression that she was trying not to laugh as Adrian attempted to get Trevor back into the chair.

"Maybe we should just put him to bed," she said, amusement thick in her voice.

"That might be best," Adrian agreed.

It was awkward getting Trevor to move, since he'd elected to loop his arms around Adrian's neck, but he managed it after a moment. Sypha moved out of the way, and seemed to be stifling giggles as Trevor mumbled incoherently when Adrian carefully moved him into the bedroom.

There was a small lump in the far bed that had to be Anna; she stirred when they made it into the room, and he saw her prop herself up on one elbow, hair cascading around her as the lights turned up to just enough to see by.

"S'going on?" she mumbled.

"Trevor had a bit much to drink," he replied, "and has decided he wants to be a cuddlefish."

It startled a drowsy giggle out of her, which he'd hoped it would.

"Yeeaah. Be a cuddlefish n'do... headsmash."

"Please don't," Adrian said dryly, trying to lower Trevor onto the bed.

"Headsmash~"

Adrian winced a little as Trevor moved in, half-expecting an actual headbutt... and was very surprised when it was Trevor's mouth that collided with his, not his forehead.

As far as kisses went, it was neither the longest, nor the best; Trevor flopped back onto the bed after a few moments, sprawled out and snoring before he hit the blanket. Adrian just blinked, then looked up at Sypha in bemusement. Sypha had both her hands over her mouth, and looked to be rather _desperately_ trying to stifle laughter.

"Did he just... kiss you?" Anna sounded more awake and slightly befuddled.

"...I think so," Adrian said after a moment, shaking his head slightly and crouching to pull Trevor's shoes off before swinging his friend's legs up onto the bed. "Very badly."

That seemed to break Sypha, who leaned against the door frame and just laughed until she cried. Adrian looked over at Anna, who had a baffled expression on her face, and only shrugged when he nodded towards Sypha.

"Tomorrow is going to be interesting," he muttered, shaking his head a little.

* * *

"...this is why you're not supposed to drink," Anna said unsympathetically as Trevor laid his face on the table with a groan.

"It wasn't so bad," he mumbled into the plas-glass. "Was having fun..."

She sighed and pushed a cup at him.

"Here, dummy. Drink this."

"...wha'sit?"

"Water and medicine. You're dehydrated, and you need a painkiller. Drink."

He did, and she turned towards the small kitchen, going through the cupboards to find one of the packets of dried food for rehydration.

"...you're mad at me," he said after a long minute.

"A little."

"Why?"

She gave him an annoyed look over her shoulder.

"Do you remember _anything_ from last night?" she asked.

More silence allowed her to get a pan and some water; he needed something to eat, but she wanted it to be something that wasn't going to hurt if he _really_ lost hangover roulette.

"...did I kiss Adrian?" he finally asked.

Anna paused for a brief moment, then huffed a sigh.

"Yes. Yes you did."

"Is _that_ why you're upset?"

"No, Trevor..."

She pushed the oatmeal into a bowl and brought it over to him with a spoon.

"Eat."

"But you _are_ mad," he said, picking up the spoon.

"...I swear, I can't tell if you're being obtuse, or actually forgot. I _hate_ it when you drink. I'm not mad at you because you kissed Adrian, I'm mad because you were _drunk_, Trevor. _Stumbling drunk_."

He flushed a little, and looked down at his food. Anna sighed, then rubbed her hands over her face before sitting down.

"I know it's been years," she said gentling her tone. "I know. You're good about it now, better than you used to be. But it's scary. Okay?"

He ate a few bites of food carefully, then looked up at her with a raised eyebrow.

"You're not mad that I kissed your boyfriend."

"...you pick the weirdest parts of the conversation to latch onto, and I'm not sure if that's the hangover, or just you. _No_, Trevor. Also, he's not my boyfriend. But I do think you, Sypha, and him should talk about that sooner rather than later. Though..." and she wrinkled her nose slightly, "maybe do it _after_ you've had a chance to clean up."

It wasn't a total lie. What she wanted most was for Adrian to be _happy_, and she knew he was comfortable with Trevor and Sypha. If comfortable meant following that path, it wasn't her place to get in the middle, to try and say he couldn't, they couldn't do that. It would _hurt_, but what did that matter?

They would be happy, and that was enough.

* * *

"So, you're not upset?" Trevor asked cautiously, eyeing both Adrian and Sypha.

Sypha grinned broadly at him.

"You were being a cuddlefish. It was hilarious~" she teased.

He groaned a little, covering his face with both hands, then peered at Adrian, who lightly shrugged with a small smile.

"It was unexpected," he admitted. "But I wouldn't say unwelcome. Though... I don't think I want to be an option _only_ if you're drunk. That would be rude."

Sypha snickered a little.

"So it's... not a problem. With either of you?"

"Only if it means I get to kiss him too," Sypha said promptly.

Adrian hid his smile this time at Trevor's startled look. When it faded into thoughtful curiosity, Adrian only shrugged.

"I have no protests. You're both... attractive to me."

"...what about Anna?"

Adrian went quiet then. Anna was pulling away. He had become 'Mr. Tepes' again in front of the doctors and physicians, and was only Adrian in private. She still smiled at him, still let him curl up with her, but there was a gap and it was getting a little wider every day.

"I don't know," he finally admitted. "She holds to her line of friendship and no further, and there's... a professional veneer to it now. She will come to my defense in a heartbeat, I know, but..."

Adrian frowned. Sighed.

"I don't know..."

"She knows you're trying hard," Sypha said, resting a gentle hand on his knee. "She watches it every day."

"...we could always stuff you two in a closet," Trevor offered.

"A closet?" Adrian blinked in confusion.

"Yeah, like that old party game~"

"Trevor, that..." Sypha paused. "Well... it _could_ work. But I don't think she'd forgive you for it."

Adrian looked between them with a mild amount of misgiving.

"Someone please explain?"

"You never had kissing parties when you were a kid?" Trevor asked with a grin.

"I was raised in an _entirely_ different societal set," he pointed out.

"It's just a silly kids game most of the time," Sypha said. "Like... spin the bottle. Where you have to kiss the person it lands on. Usually popular in mixed gender parties. You spend a set amount of time in a closet and it's... well, it's _meant_ to be sexually charged, but some people go in and they just talk."

Other people go in and they make out until they get kicked out," Trevor said with a snicker.

Sypha shook her head tolerantly.

"Yes, that too. But I think we should save that as a... _last_ resort. You know?"

Trevor snorted a little, but shrugged in agreement.

"I think my father would try and kick me from one end of the house to the other if I did something that made anyone feel discomforted by my presence in that manner," Adrian said after a moment. "Not to mention the lecture I would get from my mother..."

"Okay, but it's a game," Trevor said.

"...it wouldn't be, in this case. And... I don't think that's the right way to go about asking her either," Adrian replied. "I just... don't know how to say what I'd like to. I don't know if she'll believe me."

Sypha leaned on him affectionately, and Trevor moved from sitting across to sitting next to him to do the same. Adrian sighed lightly, looking down at his hands.

He could, arguably, let her go. Let her pull away until that distance was too great to bridge, let her be there, but distant.

But he didn't want to. As much as he felt he wanted to spend his life with Trevor and Sypha, it wouldn't be the same, wouldn't be _right_, if Anna wasn't there too. He hadn't dared to dream, to plan ahead in a long time, but he'd been trying to break out of that recently. He needed to start looking at more than just the current moment.

"Adrian?" Sypha asked after a moment.

"...I do need to... corner her," he admitted. "But not in a way that frightens her."

Trevor patted his back lightly, and grinned when he turned to look at him.

"So, here's what you want to do."

* * *

It was much more comfortable to sit in the waiting room during Adrian's talks with the psychologist. Seeing his progress was good, but she also felt like being there made him push too _hard_ for progress. He needed to have his plateaus, his dips, and his peaks without her there to tell him.

Anna flipped through the entries on her data pad, mostly just killing time. It hadn't been easy to spend hours out of the room, time away from her three friends, but she felt it was the only option if they were to be happy... and Dr. Xheng had been more than happy to let her follow him around as sort of a mock-resident while he tended to few injuries people had picked up here and there on the liner.

Just two more weeks and they would reach the Alterra main planet. Oh, things would change then, and fast. She had no doubts that Adrian would be whisked off, either by the board of directors, or maybe even his parents, and it would be a while before they saw, or heard from him again. If ever.

She shook her head slightly after a moment; no, Adrian would at least keep in touch with Sypha and Trevor. The three of them together would be a good team.

She bit back the burn of tears, and shoved away the pain; what she wanted for herself took a backseat to what she wanted for them. They would be happy.

It would be fine.

She had her control back by the time Adrian stepped out of the room, and even managed to smile at him when he relaxed at the sight of her.

"Next appointment all set?" she asked.

He nodded.

"Three days, same time."

"That's good. Did you want to go to the library today?"

He shook his head, and surprised her by slipping his arm through hers.

"I though... perhaps the botanicals deck."

Anna blinked, then half-shrugged.

"Okay."

* * *

Adrian glanced down at her again as they walked through the warmth of the plant-filled room. She wasn't relaxed, but she wasn't uneasy, and she hadn't yet tried to pull away from him. He could feel the gulf though, the emotional backstepping that had taken place.

He didn't like it.

Was Trevor right? Would confronting her about it be the right answer?

He wasn't going to find out if he kept thinking. And they were alone for the moment. There wasn't much chance that would last, not with how many other people were on the liner, so he needed to jump.

"Anna."

She looked up at him curiously, and for a moment he felt all his words deserting him. If this backfired...

He sighed, and brought his free hand up to touch her face. She went still, and he could see uncertainty, sorrow, flickering in her eyes. Tension coiled in her shoulders, as though she was bracing for something unpleasant.

That decided him.

"If I told you that I wanted to kiss you again, what would you think?"

She blinked. Her eyes flicked away uncertainly.

"...Mr. T-"

"Anna. Please. I will give you space if you need the space, but I won't accept being pushed away entirely," He let out a slow breath, brushing his thumb along her cheek. "You seem to be of the mindset that as long as I am happy, as long as Sypha and Trevor are happy, then what _you_ want is trivial. But how are we supposed to be happy when you're in pain? They _love_ you."

He hesitated for a long moment.

Once he said these words, he could not take them back.

"..._I_ love you..."

She went pale, and he shifted his hold as she swayed, pulling her close a bit anxiously. Had he said too much? She didn't push away from him, but he could feel her shaking... All he could think to do was hold her and talk. Maybe if he kept talking, explained himself a little more,

"I don't just want this to be a temporary, or transient thing," he said, trying to keep his voice soothing. "If there's a chance, I want it to be something that could... last for a lifetime. All four of us. Whatever ends up happening, or wherever _we_ end up, just... being together."

He heard someone coming up behind them and moved to the side so that they could pass. When a hand lightly touched his arm he jumped, then looked over to see Sypha, giving them both a thoughtful look. He didn't want to ask her to intervene, but he was no longer as sure as he had been when he'd started that this was how he should have approached it.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"I... don't know," he admitted, looking a little helplessly down at Anna, who hadn't stopped shaking, and wasn't really responding. "...no. No I don't think it is."

Sypha put a hand on Anna's head, and he felt it rather viscerally when she flinched. She didn't look up at him, but that didn't mean he wasn't aware of how pale her face was, and how unsteady her breathing.

"Okay. This was not one of Trevor's better ideas," Sypha sighed a little. "Come on. Let's go back to the suite. You need a nap, and she needs to relax again."

"And Trevor?"

Oh, the suddenly fierce glitter in those blue eyes.

"Trevor has some explaining to do."

* * *

Anna had been sitting in the bubble bath for the better part of five minutes before Sypha joined her, hunched up in a small ball and staring at nothing. She wasn't catatonic, not really, but it was hard to break out of that cold, silent dread that had enveloped her when Adrian had said _that_ word.

"Anna?" Sypha reached over, touched her shoulder lightly. "Won't you talk to me?"

"...I thought I was over this," she whispered.

"Over what?"

But Anna only shook her head.

Love.

What an unfair, _unkind_ word for him to use. Holding out the thing she wanted the most, the thing she could _never_ have. It wasn't like love was a forbidden word, but the connotations... the way it could catapult her back into being that child, reaching for what was handed out only ever grudgingly, if at all. The only familial love she'd ever gotten had been from Trevor, and that too, had been handed out in small packets. It hadn't changed how much she'd adored him as a child, especially when he'd relented enough to try being her friend.

It hadn't changed how much it had hurt when he'd told her he was leaving as soon as he could. But it had helped her learned that you could love someone, and they would never love you the same way, with the same fervor.

Anna bit her lip and swallowed hard.

It hurt. Oh it hurt.

Sypha scooted closer, and just put an arm around her shoulders. She didn't pull, she didn't press. She just sat there in the warm water, the room comfortably dim, and let the silence stand.

Maybe that's why it was okay to unbend, to climb into Sypha's lap and hide her face against her friend's shoulder. To let Sypha stroke her hair and just... be held. Be comforted in a manner that she generally never had been.

And when the inevitable happened and she started to cry, then only thing Sypha did was hold her closer.

* * *

"_You_," Sypha said with a small scowl, "are in trouble."

Trevor blinked, leaning back in his chair. Adrian took the other one as Sypha continued to frown at her boyfriend—her primary—hands on her hips.

"It... didn't go well?" he hazarded.

"She went middling catatonic, and broke down in the bathtub! _No_, it didn't go well!"

Trevor held up his hands slightly, defensively.

"Hey, she usually respond fine when someone lays out what they want in plain terms," he retorted.

"How often have those been love confessions?" Adrian asked quietly.

That made Trevor pause as Sypha dropped into her own chair.

"She never talked much about a social life, but... well, she's always been private. And I mean, for a cousin, she's pretty. Maybe in school there wasn't a lot of people she liked, but I knew at least two people that had crushes on her because she was considered pretty cute."

"Trevor, the point is that Adrian tried to tell her how he felt, and she imploded hard enough that she's going to need space for a few _days._" Sypha blew out an annoyed breath. "We have two _weeks_ left on this ship, and if something doesn't get fixed quickly, I think she might just vanish on us, regardless of whatever promise to stay we could get out of her."

If she left... Adrian's heart gave a hard bump. He didn't want her to leave; she'd been the first to be real, the first to be _there_. He hadn't been able to let her work herself to collapse, could he really let her walk away from all of them?

"Okay, okay," Trevor leaned forward. "So tell me what happened."

"I... attempted to explain how she puts us before her, while not realizing that her happiness with us is what we want," Adrian said slowly. "I told her that... you both love her." He paused for breath. She hadn't rejected his words, but her reaction... "I told her that I did as well."

Trevor stared at him for a long moment, then groaned.

"_Fuck_," he said, very quietly, but very heartfelt. "Okay. Yeah, I did fuck up."

"Trevor?" Sypha asked, warning and worry in her tone.

"Love is a four-letter-word for Anna," he said tiredly. "Because when we were kids, it was a weapon."

He leaned back in his chair, running a hand over his face.

"Look. As a kid, I was kind of a shit to Anna. We get along now because we reconnected when we were both out of there, and I'd... had a bit of therapy that I didn't get before. She doesn't talk about it much, and I gather she had some therapy too, and some... nannite tweaks to help with some of the worst effects.

"It wasn't physical," he continued, holding up a hand before Sypha could speak. Judging by her expression, she'd been likely to get outraged on Anna's behalf, a sentiment Adrian very much agreed with. "That doesn't make it better, I know, but it never hit that degree. My uncles all liked to drink and shout at their wives and kids. My aunts didn't drink, but they took out their frustrations verbally on their kids, and their kids took it out on each other. You didn't say _love_ if you didn't want to be mercilessly mocked by the whole fucking brood."

Adrian leaned forward a little, listening intently.

"Love is taboo then?" he asked quietly.

"But... she's said it before," Sypha said, confused.

"Probably about me, and it's... not the same," Trevor shook his head a little. "Like I said, I was kind of a shitty cousin. I was angry a lot, and while I never joined in on the teasing, I didn't always put a stop to it either. But I was also kind of an outsider. That made it safer for her to give all her pent up affection to me, trying to take care of me..."

He half-smiled, sadly and a little bitterly.

"I could tell her to jump and she wouldn't even ask how high, she'd just jump and hope it was good enough. I'm still honestly amazed she made it out of that place instead of getting hitched to some shitheel that-" He cut himself off, and shook his head. "No, look, as far as I know, no one's ever told her that they loved her that wasn't me. And she can accept it from me because I was there too... and also, I try not to say it too often."

"So then, is there a way for me to-"

"No, let me talk to her first," Sypha interrupted. "There are things women say to other women that they won't say to men, and maybe I can ease her into it."

Adrian looked down at his hands. He didn't want to leave it to Sypha to fix, he wanted to fix it himself... When she reached over and put a hand on his, he startled slightly.

"I know it's hard, Adrian, but you scared her," she said gently. "She needs to get her balance back and think about what you said, without panicking. I don't know that you'll be able to help with that."

He pressed his lips together briefly, then sighed, and nodded.

"All right."

Sypha squeezed his hand sympathetically, then looked over at Trevor. Adrian looked over as well, and grimaced slightly to see the shadows of memories that still hurt in his face. After sharing a quick look with Sypha, they both got up, and went over to give Trevor the comfort that they could. He wasn't the person Adrian really _wanted_ to comfort, but until he could approach Anna safely again, he would give what he could to someone else he loved.

* * *

"So... Trevor's with... and you're going to spend the day with me?" Anna asked uncertainly.

Sypha nodded.

"You've been working too hard again," she said firmly. "I know you generally prefer to have your solitary time be... well, actually solitary, but I'm worried about you. Is that okay?"

Anna thought about it for a moment, then tentatively nodded. She didn't actually _want_ to be alone, because if she was alone she would think about what Adrian said. And it scared her far too much.

"What did you want to do?"

"Talk, mostly," Sypha said with a small smile. "Like we used to on the Aurora., after our shifts."

Anna blinked, and sat up a little. She'd always liked those conversations, meeting in one of the canteens for something to eat and to trade stories about what had happened over the course of their days.

"So... go to.. one of the cafes, get... treats and just... talk?"

Sypha nodded.

"Though... would you mind if I referred to it as a date?"

Anna blinked. Repeatedly.

"A... date?" she squeaked.

"It's okay if you don't want to think of it that way," Sypha said reassuringly. "That's just what I sent the boys on, so I thought it might be fun to emulate."

Anna's brain unstuck after a moment; Trevor on a date with Adrian sounded kind of entertaining in ways she wasn't sure she wanted to examine. Being on a date with Sypha...

"It's... Trevor won't... mind?"

"Trevor wants the ladies in his life to be happy," And Sypha's smile held an impish edge. "I'm pretty sure he'll be thrilled."

She thought about it a little more, sort of like poking something with a stick to check if it was really dead or not. The idea in and of itself was scary, but... this was _Sypha_. Sypha was her best friend. If Sypha wanted it to be a date, that was okay.

Wasn't it?

"I... I think that's okay."

"Good," And Sypha took her hand with a smile. "Then let's go on a date."

* * *

"You are fretting entirely too much," Trevor said, taking a sip of coffee. "Sypha's pretty much magic at this point; if anyone can get Anna talking, it'll be her."

"You don't... resent it at all?" Adrian asked.

"That Anna will talk to Sypha over me?" Trevor was silent for a few minutes before sighing a little. "Maybe. But I get why. Childhood... wasn't really good for either of us. We're too woven in each other's pain, and I even _caused_ some of it. It took... a while to really grow up. We're better friends as adults than we were as kids, but there's stuff we just can't discuss..."

Adrian nodded slightly.

"There are things that need to be, though..."

That made Trevor grimace.

"All right, fire away."

He chuckled slightly.

"Relax, Trevor. I'm not speaking of the past. I'm trying to think about the future. After we reach Alterra's homeworld, Torens. There is... a lot to be concerned with."

Trevor's eyebrows went up curiously.

"...oh, yeah, you have been 'missing' for ten years, haven't you... Probably messages to folks and a whole ton of backpay to negotiate."

"Not just that," though the idea of seeing his parents and his younger brother was both thrilling and scary. Would they welcome him back, be upset that he'd been gone for so long? "4546B is technically an unclaimed planet, and we used more than a few resources."

"...you think they're going to try and pull a planet claim, and charge us for using the shit we needed to survive."

"Unfortunately, yes," And Adrian sighed. "I can get them to waive the fee, once they've confirmed my identity. Getting them to release a planet claim will be... more challenging."

"Let me guess," Trevor said after another drink of the coffee. "Board meetings for _months_."

"Very very likely. I've been trying to pre-empt what I can, but it's been... difficult. I spent eight years living in the moment, so trying to plan..."

"Trying to plan is what we have Anna and Sypha for," Trevor said with a lopsided grin. "I'm _terrible_ at it. If I'd been stuck alone on Waterworld, we'd probably still be there."

"...we're not calling the planet Waterworld," Adrian said... though he was fighting not to smile.

"What, why not? It's a world that's more water than solid ground~"

"No."

"It's not like anyone else will give it a name."

"I'm working on that. Among... a few other things."

Trevor snorted a little.

"Like what?"

"Well, we're going to need a place to stay once we're planetside again," Adrian replied. "I need to be available to the board for a while, which means finding a comfortable place inside the city. I _used_ to have a home there, but after this long, I'm fairly certain it was sold, or repossessed... possibly looted, since my family lives on Athena, not Torens."

"...Admittedly, I just kind of figured we'd get put up in a hotel for a few days, before trying to argue with Alterra," Trevor said, looking surprised. "You're talking about... what, a house?"

"Well, a very large flat, at the least," he replied with a smile. "Room to have personal space or not, as we'd like. I was hoping to... get everyone's opinions soon, but..."

"Well, I'm sure we can sort this mess out before we hit dirt," Trevor said confidently.

Adrian sighed a little, though he couldn't help but smile when Trevor slung an arm around him.

"I do hope you're right..."

* * *

Sypha's idea of a date was actually more fun than Anna had anticipated. There had been no deep talks, no insistence that she face the word that made her so scared. They'd gone to a cafe, and she'd listened while Sypha described some of the things she and Trevor had done while exploring the liner and meeting some of the people who knew they'd been rescued, and then Sypha had coaxed her into one of the few shops to try on some pretty clothes. Then a place that did hair and nails.

From there, it had become a somewhat fancier dinner date that made her nervous—fancy dinners, even ones paid for by Alterra weren't her forte—but she had to admit, it was also... fun.

For a moment she allowed herself to entertain the idea of doing something like this with Adrian. Or even all four of them together, dressed up and just... eating dinner together.

She pushed the thought away quickly; a nice dream, but... not a reality.

Not for her.

"You haven't gotten out very much," Sypha said as they finished off their desserts. "Other than walking through the ship to the medical wing to help Adrian with his appointments."

"...it's a big ship, with a lot of people," Anna replied, not sure where Sypha was going with this. "I might not get lost, but..."

But talking to the people who wanted to approach her, whatever their reason, was bordering on too much social. Even when she walked in the library, or on the hydroponics deck, _someone_ wanted to strike up a conversation, and she had just... never been good at that.

It didn't help that a good portion of them were male, or masculine aligned. It just made her feel even more bewildered.

"Have you ever gone to the top deck? It's fun being surrounded by the stars."

Anna had to smile.

"After being surrounded by the water, I suppose it would be. Did you want to go?"

"Well, yes, but only if you're up for it. You've been following _my_ lead all afternoon," and Sypha's smile was warmly amused. "Letting me dress you up and do very girly things, even when you weren't too sure about them."

"...I didn't mind..."

True, it had been somewhat unnerving to look in a mirror and not entirely recognize herself. The person that had looked back was much... _prettier_ than she tended to think of herself as. Pretty hadn't necessarily be a word she had association with, never mind that some of her peers in medical school had told her that she was.

The fact that Sypha had taken them to get a picture after had almost pushed it over into being too much.

"Yes, but still. What do _you_ want to do?" Sypha asked.

Anna considered the idea; she'd been... not exactly _social_, but surrounded by people for the past seven hours, most of whom she didn't know, and never would. She kind of wanted to go back to their suite, change into something relaxing, and just read until she fell asleep.

But...

"...I wouldn't mind seeing the stars," she finally said. "For a little bit."

Sypha studied her for a few moments, then nodded.

Getting up to the observation deck wasn't too hard; the lifts weren't _fun_, but as long as Anna focused on them going up, she only clung to Sypha's hand a _little_ harder than normal. They got a few speculative glances, a few knowing smirks or smiles, but Sypha had the art of the staredown mastered, and more often than not, people looked away rather than say something.

There were pockets of people strolling or lounging in chairs on the deck; talking, drinking from wine glasses, even a few that were chasing their children around. It was a buzz of sound that pushed at Anna, made her pull closer to Sypha, and wonder just how much worse things would be once they reached Torens and the cities that would inevitably follow.

Sypha led her away from the worst of the crowd to a small nook that had a little bench facing outwards, towards space. Sitting on the bench, Anna tipped her head back and saw familiar stars spread over inky darkness.

Something inside her uncoiled, finally, properly relaxing, and without thinking she leaned against Sypha, letting her head rest on the other woman's shoulder.

"Anna... you know we all care about you, right?" Sypha asked, loosely coming her fingers through some of Anna's wavy hair.

"...yes?"

"We would be upset if you just... left without saying anything."

Anna fidgeted, unwilling to admit that she'd been considering it. Not on the ship, not while Adrian still needed her for the medical appointments, but once they were on a planet... would he need her any more?

The word echoed in her mind, and she shivered a little.

Sypha's hand continued to trail through her hair.

"Anna?"

"Hm...?"

"How do you feel about Adrian?"

A pit bloomed in her stomach. Here it was, the conversation she didn't want to have. Could she lie convincingly to Sypha?

Did she _want_ to?

"I... care about him," she said haltingly. "I want him to... to be as healthy as he can be, and get back what... what he can after what happened to him."

Care was such a paltry word in comparison. He'd said he loved her, but...

"Do you care about him differently than the rest of us?"

The question _sounded_ idle, but it felt like there was a trap in those words. It made her think, too; how _did_ she feel about them all.

Well, Trevor was her cousin. He'd been a good rock to lean on in adulthood, even if they hadn't always been the best of friends as children. He _knew_ her childhood, and that let him be more... flexible about things. She could say she loved him because he understood the word was loaded, carried a weight that she couldn't fully articulate.

Sypha... had basically been her friend since they'd met on the Aurora. There was something easy about her, something... not quite carefree, but relaxing. Soothing. She had a caustic tongue sometimes, but a good heart, and had always been there to listen, or just to lean on. Like now. While she hadn't actually _considered_ being a datemate with Sypha, the evolution from friend to best friend to... this... hadn't been discomforting. A little strange at times—especially considering how clearly bonkers she and Trevor were for one another—but not bad.

Adrian...

Her heart bumped up into her throat. How was it possibly to both want someone and be afraid of them at the same time? If she let Adrian in, _truly_ in, what happened when he discovered that she didn't fit in his world?

"...being in love with someone is scary," Sypha said after the silence had stretched far longer than Anna had meant for it to. "Being that vulnerable can have dire consequences. But you can miss out on something wonderful if you don't reach for it..."

She leaned her cheek against Anna's head, her arm dropping to loosely circle her shoulders.

"I don't want you to leave us, Anna. Neither does Trevor, and I _know_ things would get a lot harder for Adrian if you did," she said gently. "I know it's scary. But isn't it worth holding on to?"

Anna looked down at her lap, twisting her fingers together uncertainly. It had been hard enough watching Trevor leave the first time. How would he feel if she simply cut and run? And Adrian had lost two people to 4546B... hadn't she told him, _promised_ him, that he wouldn't be left behind?

"Sypha...?"

"Yes?"

"It's okay to be scared, right?"

Sypha's arm tightened in a hug.

"It's okay to be scared," she replied. "Something like this _is_ scary, especially when you don't have good prior experience with relationships. The only thing you can do is choose to try anyways."

Anna nodded after a long moment.

"...and maybe ask to... not use that word for a while?" she offered a little meekly.

She felt more than saw Sypha's smile, and blushed a little when her friend kissed her forehead.

"Right. We'll be careful with it." Sypha paused, then lightly poked her nose, making Anna startle just a little into looking up. "Does this mean I can kiss you properly?"

Anna felt more heat climb into her face. Cheek and forehead kisses had been fine for the most part. There weren't really romantic connections there, but a kiss on the _mouth..._

Adrian's kiss on the rocket, before takeoff, had surprised her too much to really think about what it had, or hadn't, meant. And he'd been the perfect gentleman after, holding to the line of friendship and no further.

But he wanted to kiss her again. And she would admit, if only to herself, that she wanted to be kissed again.

After what felt like an eternity, she gave a hesitant nod. Sypha leaned in, and gave her a soft, gentle kiss.

* * *

Personal log, Anna Torres.

There's... still a lot to work out. Both... romance-wise and mundane. I need to talk to Adrian, but I don't know what to say. I suppose I should start with an apology and try to... explain. What I can.

I do want to be with him, with all of them. But I don't feel like there's any firm ground I can stand on. The thing is, I don't know if there ever _will_ be.

Maybe Sypha's right. Be scared, but... but try anyways.

I guess I'll try.


	25. Twenty four

Twenty four

"We're going to lay some rules down first," Sypha said firmly. "It is a _group_ date, but this doesn't mean we cant break into pairs. The only thing that shouldn't happen is one person being left to themselves while the other three have fun."

"Can there be kissing?" Trevor asked with a small grin.

Anna kicked him lightly with a small glare.

"Yes, but you have to ask first," Sypha replied as Trevor leaned away from his cousin with a snicker. _"Every_ time."

"Short kisses only?"

"No one wants to watch a make-out session, Trevor," Anna sighed, this time shoving him gently. "That's rude, not to mention discomforting for the people around you."

There was a small, amused sound from Adrian, sitting across the table from her. She huffed at him too, and tried not to blush.

The idea of a group date had actually been Trevor's, mostly in a bid to get them all to have a good, fun time before the ship docked at the Torens space dock in a week. They'd all agreed that swimming wasn't really on the table at the moment, but there were enough _other_ things on the Pirouette to do that would give them all a chance to have some fun.

"So, what should we do first?" Adrian asked, glancing first at her, then at Sypha.

"Food first," she replied promptly. "There's a nice cafe on the observation deck, or we can go to one of the lower decks for a restaurant."

"And after?"

"We'll talk about after as we go."

* * *

An arcade had followed after, at Trevor's request, though both Anna and Adrian had vacated the noise after only a few minutes.

"How _does_ he stand it?" Adrian asked, watching through the open archway as Trevor and Sypha continued to tag-team one another with the VR games.

"He's mostly deaf, I swear," Anna replied, shaking her head. He glanced at her and saw a small, fond smile on her face. "But he's got the reflexes for it, so I guess that's part of why he likes it."

Slowly he reached out, taking her hand. She blinked and glanced at him for a moment, then her fingers curled around his, and she went back to watching their two friends.

"Do you think we should leave them to it?" he asked.

"...I think if we _actually_ leave, Sypha will scold us for breaking the terms of the outing," she replied, a wry smile crossing her face. "We're supposed to be a group, after all."

"Ah, but she did say we could split into pairs as events determined, and," he winced a little at a particularly loud noise from the arcade, "quite frankly, this is too much for me."

He felt a small tremble in her hand, and made himself keep his eyes focused on Trevor's back as he won another round. She was still so skittish, even after talking things over with Sypha; he didn't want to scare her off, but this was all he could think to do for her.

"...okay," she finally said. "Then... what would you like to do?"

"Well, there is a nice book outlet over there," and he gestured to a store three down from where they stood. "Why don't we go in and browse?"

He glanced down and was rewarded with a small smile.

"Okay. Let's do that."

* * *

"That was definitely not the best movie choice," Trevor grumbled a little, stretching his arms above his head.

"I thought it was adorable," Sypha replied, hands on her hips.

"It was very moving," Adrian agreed with a small nod.

Anna just hid a yawn behind one hand; she was with Trevor on that one, it was decidedly not her type of story either. But she was glad both Sypha and Adrian seemed to have enjoyed it.

"Bah, neither of you have any taste," Sypha huffed, slipping an arm through Adrian's.

"We have taste," Trevor retorted. "It was a dull movie!"

"Be nice to your primary, Trevor," Anna murmured. "You have to share the bed, remember?"

Sypha grinned as Trevor sighed, and Adrian chuckled a little.

"Yes, that's right, be nice or there's a couch with your name on it," Sypha teased.

"Oh no, the horror," he deadpanned, slipping up on Sypha's other side to put his arm around her shoulders. "How ever will I survive a night on the couch?"

Anna stifled a giggle, even as she trailed behind them.

"Badly," she offered. "Couches aren't built for someone your size~"

"Oof, no they're not," he agreed.

"Then perhaps you shouldn't antagonize Sypha," Adrian suggested, even as he reached back to catch Anna's hand and tug her up with them. "Because she will hold you to it."

"Kinky~ Ow!"

"...you deserved that one," Sypha said, pulling her elbow out of Trevor's ribs.

Anna just giggled in agreement.

* * *

"-and that one's a Jerusalem rose," Sypha said, pointing to a small, pink flower at the edge of the display. "Oh, and over there-"

Adrian dropped back with Trevor, who was looking a bit bored.

"Not a flower person?" he asked.

"Not really, but Anna's always been a fan. She kept trying to grow gardens when we were kids, but the soil was too hard for much to take root. There was grass, and a lot of old, twisty trees, but..." he shrugged lightly. "Not much else."

Adrian smiled a little as Sypha put an arm around Anna's shoulders, pointing out yet another flower.

"Well, they're having fun, at least," he said after a moment. "They probably wouldn't notice if we wandered away."

"Oh no, they'll notice," Trevor said with a wry grin. "But they won't be annoyed, since we're not going far. Let's grab some drinks from the kiosk and kick back for a bit."

Adrian nodded, and followed, though he glanced curiously over his shoulder after a moment; sure enough, both Anna and Sypha were looking back. Sypha waved, and mimed blowing a kiss before she turned back to Anna; Anna looked... forlorn for a moment, but after a minute she waved too, then returned her attention to what Sypha was saying.

It was good to sit down again, with a mug of tea in hand at a small plas-glass table.

"Doing okay?" Trevor asked.

"Well enough, I suppose. It's not overwhelming, if that's what you mean."

Trevor took a drink from his coffee, and half-shrugged.

"Well, that's good, but I meant between you and Anna."

Adrian sighed a little, and shrugged a bit helplessly.

"Look, 'round the end of the night, I'll take Sypha off in one direction, and you stay with Anna," Trevor said after a moment. "_Without_ scaring her this time, maybe just ask for a kiss? Worst she can say is no, but I don't think she's shut the door on you yet..."

A kiss wasn't the only thing he wanted, but it was a place to start.

"Not yet, but I'm not entirely sure it's been properly opened either," Adrian replied, sipping at the tea. "The last thing I need now is a further misstep."

"Hey, you made your big blunder," Trevor nudged him lightly with a small grin. "Now you just get to make smaller ones~"

Adrian sighed, then reached over and shoved him.

* * *

"Do you even know _how_ to dance?" Sypha asked as Trevor pointed to the floor. "And I don't mean the dancing we were doing at the gathering the other day."

"It doesn't look that hard," he replied.

"If you step on my toes, I'll step on yours," Sypha warned, even as she took his hand.

Dinner had been far more fancy than lunch, and this restaurant had an actual dance floor in the middle for couples who had the mood for it. Anna wasn't exactly what she would call _comfortable_, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

"_Does_ your cousin know how to do the classic dances?" Adrian asked, amusement in his voice.

Anna glanced at him, then away shyly; he looked _very_ good in formal clothing, and it made her even more aware that she was not in the same social league.

"No, not really," she replied, striving to keep her tone light. "But it's Trevor. Knowing him, he'll find some workaround that will have Sypha laughing, even as they both step on the other's toes."

He chuckled a little in agreement, then surprised her by reaching out to tuck some of her hair behind her ear.

"Would _you_ care to dance?" he asked.

His fingers lingered on her cheek in a soft caress as she turned to look at him in surprise.

"Do _you_ know how?" she asked, doing her best to sound light and teasing, not unnerved.

"My father was very adamant that I learn," and his fingers trailed down, lightly ghosting over her shoulder and trailing down her arm until he could take her hand. "So yes, I know how. And I won't mind if you step on my toes."

She blushed; she had no idea how to dance any of the truly old dances, though she'd always wanted to learn. He squeezed her hand gently, and she looked up into warm eyes that carried just a hint of pleading.

"...okay. Just remember, you said that."

He chuckled, and stood up, gently pulling her with him.

The floor was not crowded, though somehow Trevor and Sypha had managed to get all the way across the room; Trevor seemed to be having a good time, even if he didn't know what he was doing, and judging by Sypha's grin, she was too. Anna looked up nervously at Adrian when he paused, then turned her gently.

"Hand here. And here. Yes," and he smiled a little. "Put the tips of your shoes on mine, and just follow my lead."

It was easier said than done, but he kept to a slow, stately pace, his hand on her waist as he guided her through the steps. Bit by bit, she began to feel the pattern, and let herself be drawn into it. She heavily doubted she was his most graceful partner, but he genuinely didn't seem to mind when she failed to anticipate the correct step.

"You're a natural," he murmured. "Just relax."

That was _definitely_ easier said than done... but she tried. For him.

* * *

As promised, Trevor had talked Sypha into going to one of the more modern dances with him after they'd finished with the classic dances... he'd also had to promise Anna he wouldn't drink himself foolish again, something Adrian had to admit he heartily approved of.

"You know, I never thought to walk up here," he admitted, pulling Anna just a little bit closer as they passed another couple out for a walk under the stars. "I suppose I was a bit concerned for my skin..."

That made her giggle a little.

"The stars are all far enough away that you won't burn," she said, glancing up at him with a small smile.

"Yes, I understand this _logically_, but considering my recent dealing with stars and moons, I think I'm allowed to be a bit paranoid."

So maybe he was being a bit more dramatic than usual. It was worth it to watch her fight a smile and fail, and to feel the warmth as she hugged his arm. As he'd thought—as he'd hoped—the dancing had relaxed her subtly, in ways he was certain she didn't even notice. She was the calmest she'd been since the group date had begun, and seeing her smile...

He glanced about carefully; when she'd given him the short goodnight kiss, Sypha had quietly told him about the private spots on the observation deck where they could go unobserved. He hoped that one was unoccupied, because he was quite certain if they went back to the room before he'd managed at least one kiss, Anna would take it as a rejection.

Though to be fair, he hadn't exactly initiated the other kisses from Sypha or Trevor. Accepted them, certainly, but not initiated them. Still, would it matter? It was _Anna_ he wanted to be his primary.

All he had to do was convince her of this fact.

* * *

It felt a little strange sitting in the same semi-secluded spot she'd shared with Sypha, but not bad. Adrian had, as ever, remained the consummate gentleman, pushing no farther than the rules that had been laid down.

Which was honestly just a _little_ frustrating. Even now, when they were in something close to privacy, he was just... sitting. Oh, he was holding her hand, and he seemed perfectly content to let her rest her head on his arm, but there was a feeling to the air, something she couldn't quite identify.

She thought for a moment, then tentatively pulled his arm until she could duck underneath, until his arm was wrapped around her shoulder, and she could more gingerly put her around his waist.

Slowly, his fingers curled around her shoulder, and she felt him relax, just a little.

"...what are you waiting for?" she asked softly.

"Well..." he glanced down at her. "I did ask you a question a few days ago... But you never answered me, because I then proceeded to be a fool."

She blinked, then flushed a little.

"You weren't being a fool," she protested. "You... you didn't know."

Lightly he squeezed her shoulder, and she curled her fingers a little in his jacket.

"That doesn't make me less of a fool," he said quietly. "I _want_ to know. But I understand if you don't want to tell me. Or can't tell me. I just... don't want to say anything that might drive you even further away. We need you, Anna. I need you..."

Need didn't have the same connotation as love. Oddly, it felt... better to hear. Though it was still a laughable concept, it wasn't as scary as the other word. Why would they need her? Why would he?

She half closed her eyes, and thought about what he'd asked before she'd panicked so hard it had required outside intervention. If she just avoided that word... everything else he'd said was clear enough.

"I think..." she said slowly, "that you've made some incredible progress while we've been here. And... and I do like... like the idea of staying with all of you. I just... I don't... fit."

Softly, his fingers stroked her shoulder.

"That's a strange thing to say," he said after a moment. "I think you fit with us just fine."

"No, I mean..." After a moment she sighed, and looked down at her lap. "When you get to Torens, you'll be a board member again, a shareholder. I'm just... I'm not even a fully trained doctor, I don't know... how to move in circles where everything is flash and glitter."

"Anna..."

He leaned his head lightly against hers.

"You don't need to," he said gently. "You don't need to try and fit into that sort of place; you just need to be _you_. The stubborn, adorable, occasionally frustrating you, who cares so much about everyone else that she forgets to care about herself, who could very well have _died_ trying to save her friends because she didn't want to take a proper dose that they _might_ need."

She blushed, and he slipped his fingers under her chin, coaxing her to look up at him.

"Please, Anna... Stay with me."

Stay with him.

Not with them, with _him_.

"...I think I would like it if you kissed me," she said, mouth suddenly dry with nerves.

"May I?"

She could still back out. Still push him away, and knew that he would let her.

Maybe that was why it felt easier to nod. Because he _would_ let her back away. He _wouldn't_ try to force her beyond where she was ready to go.

"...I fear I may break one of Sypha's rules," he murmured, shifting just slightly.

"Oh?"

It was a squeak and he smiled at her.

"I don't think I want to kiss you only a short while."

She felt heat flood her cheeks, even as he leaned in and pressed his mouth to hers.

* * *

In truth, it was probably a good thing that the secluded nook was part of the observation deck; it meant he couldn't lose himself in the sensation of kissing her, and push beyond acceptable boundaries. Because he would be the first to admit that he did, actually, want to do more than just kiss her.

But he didn't want to overwhelm her.

Adrian did his best to keep the kisses light, undemanding and easy. He made himself pull away so that she could catch her breath, kept his touches soft and minimal. As much as he wanted to push forward, to show her how he felt instead of trying to tell her, he held himself back fiercely.

She had no experience with this, or next to none, and it showed in the halting way she kissed back, in the uncertain fluttering of hands that didn't know quite where to rest. He took her hand, and pressed it between them, feeling her heart pounding almost as hard as his own.

Oh...

That wasn't good.

He pulled away, and very carefully laid his head on her shoulder. She was shivering still, but it didn't take her long to realize something was amiss.

"Adrian?"

He would admit it pleased him to hear the soft quiver in her voice. Desire, he hoped.

"...a... moment," he murmured. "Just... just a moment."

….you forgot to breathe, didn't you?"

He couldn't help but smile at the tone of her voice. Desire had been quickly replaced by concern, but there was a note of amusement too.

"Possibly."

She huffed a little, but leaned her cheek lightly against head.

"Just breathe," Anna murmured softly. "Count of five breath."

He closed his eyes, and let her voice wash over him, helping to steady his ragged breathing so that he was getting the proper amount of oxygen.

Her hand touched his chest, as if to reassure herself that his heart was not pounding quite so hard, _working_ quite so hard to keep him alive.

"...maybe we should leave it at that for now," she said, and her tone was gentle. "We'll find a geneticist on Torens once we land, won't we?"

He smiled, though he didn't straighten just yet.

"Yes," he agreed. "We will."

* * *

Personal log, Anna Torres

If that's what kissing is like all the time, I think I understand why Sypha and Trevor kiss so much. Not that kissing Sypha is bad, it's just... not quite the same. Nothing is _lacking_, it's just... I don't know. Different.

Now that we're within a week of Torens, messages are going to be coming in at a rapid pace. Already Alterra is trying to deny us the right to land because we have to pay a fee for utilizing the resources of 4546B to survive; Adrian swears he can get that overturned before we reach the planet itself, but that's just one of many issues.

I still don't know if this is right, but... I think I care less now.

I want to stay.

I _need_... to stay.


	26. Twenty five

Twenty five

"Mr. Tepes, you're alone today?"

Adrian glanced up from his reading, and smiled cautiously at Eliza Zenni. There was still that edge of familiarity, the sense that perhaps he ought to know her from somewhere... but she was closer in age to Anna than to him, and Anna was the youngest of the four of them. He wouldn't have known her from his time before the Degasi crash.

"Not quite," he smiled slightly glancing over at another table. "Anna, Trevor, and Sypha are over there, debating the pros and cons between the places we've managed to agree on. I'd like to have it waiting for us by the time we land, but I suspect we'll be in a hotel for several days while they talk it out."

Eliza glanced over as he did, and he saw amusement touching her mouth, softening it at the edges. He'd once seen that look on another woman, but...

"I... wanted to ask you a question if I may, Mr. Tepes."

Intrigued, he sat up a little, putting the data pad down after marking his spot so he wouldn't lose it.

"Please, have a seat," he invited. "I don't know if I can answer your question, but I'll try."

Eliza sat, and fluffed out her short hair for a moment, looking almost uncharacteristically nervous.

"...My grandmother was on the Degasi ten years ago," she finally said. "But I'm too junior a physician to be allowed to know the contents of the reports you've had submitted to Alterra and other doctors. I know you're the only survivor, but..."

"Your grandmother?" Adrian urged gently.

"...She was a doctor. She's the reason I wanted to _be_ a doctor." Eliza sighed a little. "I just... can you tell me what happened to Liesse Montblanc?"

Adrian blinked. Stared. Leaned back in his chair. Now that it had been said, now that he _knew_, all the little things she'd done, the little habits he'd subconsciously recognized made sense. The reason he felt comfortable with her made _sense_.

This was Liesse's granddaughter.

"She..." He took a breath, and swallowed the lump in his throat. "My apologize, Ms. Zennni. Liesse was... a very good friend to me. Rather like an aunt at the end."

"She lived with you?"

He allowed himself a small ghost of a smile, and willed himself to calm down; if his heart rate elevated too much, he'd have Anna over here in a panic of her own.

"She's the reason _I_ lived," he said with some effort. "Liesse was... brilliant. She worked herself to the bone trying to find a way for us to live. I... I'm sorry, but I don't know what happened to her. She went out and simply... never returned."

He remembered that time with an awful sort of clarity that he wished he didn't. Waiting for several hours was no hard task, but then it became a day. Then two, then five. He'd gone out to look for her, but he hadn't found the Nautilus.

He hadn't found Liesse.

"I'm sorry," Eliza said, reaching over to put a hand briefly on his. "I didn't mean to stir up painful memories."

"It's... not your fault," he replied, a pained smile crossing his face. "In your place, I would have wondered too."

"Do... do you want me to get one of them?" And Eliza tipped her head towards his partners.

Adrian considered for a moment, then nodded.

"Anna, if you please..."

"Of course."

Eliza gave him a somewhat awkward, fleeting smile, then got up and went over to the other three. Adrian closed his eyes, and focused on a breathing exercise until he felt Anna's hand on his shoulder.

"Adrian?" Her soft, worried voice held as much professional as personal concern. "What's wrong?"

He turned, and pressed his face against her chest, curving one arm around her. Here was a doctor, a friend he had saved. Here was a lifeline to hold onto as he fought free of the mire of memories.

Anna's arm wrapped around him in reply, and she rested her cheek on his head. He listened to her breathe, felt the hand that stroked his hair, and felt her squeak when he pulled her down onto his lap so that they could both be more comfortable. It was rude, but he couldn't help the need to hold her close, remind himself that had might have failed once, but the second time he had _not_.

Other hands touched him after a moment; he recognized Trevor's on his shoulders, just resting gently, and Sypha's hands ran through his hair, comforting and soothing.

They were there. They were all there, and it was okay.

* * *

"Anna, I think you're worrying a little too much about price," Sypha said, leaning back from the table. "Adrian's already said he'll handle it."

"I know," and she tucked her knees up against her chest. "I don't like that."

Trevor snorted a little, and lightly bounced a ball of paper off her head, making Anna turned and glare at him.

"I don't like feeling in debt to someone, even if he's..."

What _was_ he? It was still too new, too nebulous for her.

"It's not being in debt if we're all living together," Sypha pointed out. "Either that or we're all in debt."

Anna just shook her head a little. She knew she was being stubbornly unreasonable about it, she just couldn't really help herself. She didn't _like_ the idea of someone paying all her expenses without her doing something in return. It dredged up memories she'd rather forget, of places and people she'd left behind.

Another paper ball bounced off her head and she glared at Trevor again.

"I think we should go with the garden one," he said, giving her a small smirk. "We're going to be stuck on Torrens for a while, might as well have something we can mess with."

"We could grow food and decorative plants," Sypha said with a nod. "And there's plenty of above and below-ground rooms that we can each have our own space."

It was tempting. She'd always wanted a garden, a chance to grow things of her own. To live around green things for food and colorful flowers.

"We could even put in a fishpond. There's more than enough room. And," Trevor stretched lightly, "if it makes you feel better, we can talk to Adrian about splitting the costs. We all have backpay from Alterra for at least the eight months we've been gone, especially since he got their bullshit fee waived."

She glanced at him, then away; he understood why it was hard for her, but he was trying to be considerate and not air the story. She appreciated that.

"We'll be in a hotel for a couple of days at least anyways," Sypha said. "We can talk more about it then if we need to."

Anna nodded, and got to her feet.

"...I'm going to go for a walk," she said, not looking at either of them. "Could one of you...?"

"I wanted a nap," Trevor said with a shrug. "Not sure I'm half as cuddleable as you are-"

"Says the cuddlefish."

Now it was Trevor's turn to scowl, flushing just slightly. Anna gave him her best innocent look as Sypha snickered, then slipped out the door before an offer of company could be made.

She took a lift up to the botanical section of the ship, and wound her way through the paths until she was in sections where few people actually roamed. Finding a bench, she dropped down onto it with a tired sigh and rubbed her face. She _would_ have to talk to Adrian about it, to make sure he wasn't insulted... and maybe it was _time_ to talk about it too. Even Trevor only knew some of what had happened.

Anna brought her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them. It wasn't fair that old memories still had the power to hurt like this. The event, and the person behind it, were five years gone now. It shouldn't still be this difficult.

But it was.

If she had gotten a little farther away, another trans-gov over, it would never have even happened.

Abruptly she shook her head, then got to her feet. She needed to work off the restless, fretful energy first. She didn't really like the gym options on the Pirouette, but running herself down might do better.

Or...

Anna hesitated, then nodded.

A swim would do her some good.

* * *

"...it's been a few hours. Do you think we should look for her?" Adrian asked uncertainly.

"She'll be back," Trevor replied, though he looked concerned too.

"What's the problem this time?" Sypha asked, her tone worried. "The garden home is pretty much perfect.."

"It's not the home, it's..." Trevor sighed, and glanced at Adrian. "She needs to pay some for herself. There's..."

After a moment he shook his head lightly.

"I can't tell the story. Anna has to. I only know what I know from her, and from... when I went and got her out."

"Can you tell us what you _do_ know?" Sypha asked.

Trevor sighed a little, expression going unusually serious.

"So, there was a guy she saw not long after she left her parents house for college," he said reluctantly. "She was only taking a couple courses so she could work and save for more to go from just ordinary to... well, I don't know. She wanted something before medical, but..." he shrugged a little, absently turning the paper ball in his hands. "I'd been gone maybe... three years at that point. Hopped jobs, trans-govs, done a shitty job at keeping in contact, but she found me anyways when she moved out and let me know her new place. Couldn't talk much, or long, but..."

He shrugged lightly.

"She met this guy, Quinn... Quinn-something. She only ever called him Quinn, anyways. Didn't say much about him, but I guess he was pretty taken with her. Moved her into his place, paid a lot of her expenses for her. I think she was okay with it at first, but... Well, the calls started getting weird. He'd hang out in the background and she seemed uncomfortable with it. He'd tell her it was time to be done and she'd say goodbye, even if we were still in the middle of a conversation."

Adrian half-closed his eyes, and let out a slow breath.

"I got concerned, so I made a special trip out to see for myself what was going on. I didn't like it, so when Quinn was out, I convinced her to pack up and we found her a place of her own that same day."

Though judging from the evasiveness Trevor had done more than just that. Sypha and Adrian exchanged a look, then Sypha leaned forward.

"How many times did you punch him?"

Trevor grinned sheepishly.

"A few. But not until I'd gotten Anna out. She never talked about it much, but I stuck around for a while so she could adjust-"

"And to keep Quinn from showing back up," Adrian cut in, amused.

"That too, yeah. It wasn't easy getting her to do what _she_ wanted. It's still hard," and Trevor grimaced. "And of course you two know how she is about putting others first..."

Adrian sighed a little, nodding, and Sypha smiled wryly.

"Do you think she'll _tell_ us the story?" he asked, flicking one of the crumpled bits of paper across the table.

"Well, we can ask," Sypha replied with a small shrug. "It can't hurt to do that, can it?"

It could, and they all knew it... but after a moment Adrian shook his head a little.

"I'll ask."

"No, _we'll_ ask," Sypha said, reaching over and poking him gently. "She's not just yours, you know."

Adrian smiled a little ruefully; Sypha was right, but he was worried that she'd find telling all of them too much.

Before he could express these ideas, the main door slid open, and Anna wandered in, looking tired... but calm again. Adrian eyed the towels she had draped around her curiously; had she gone to one of the saunas, maybe?

"There you are," Sypha was half out of her seat, smiling, before Anna came over to the table. "We were worrying."

"...sorry," Anna looked briefly down at her hands, somewhat sheepishly. "I... I needed to work off the anxiety. I went swimming."

Adrian sat on his reaction; the thought of her in a swimsuit was... more enticing than he wanted it to be. True, they'd all worn wetsuits on 4546B, and those didn't exactly leave much to the imagination, but at the same time...

"Is something up?"

"...kind of?" Trevor offered after a minute. "We wanted to talk about... Quinn."

Anna's concern faded into a flatness that made Adrian's heart hurt.

"Only if you want to," Sypha said quickly. "It's okay if you don't, we just-"

"No, I..." Anna sighed. "I was thinking about it. It'll... this whole issue might make more sense if I do. Can I have a shower first, though?"

"Of course," Adrian said, his voice gentle. "We won't push you to speak before you're ready, Anna.."

She half-smiled, though it didn't quite reach her eyes, and stepped past the table, into the bedroom., nudging the door closed behind her Adrian watched her go, then jolted a little as Trevor kicked him lightly.

"I'm not saying join her in the shower," he drawled, "but maybe catch her before she gets in there and give her a hug. You know you want to."

"...I do," Adrian said quietly. "But perhaps I shouldn't. What if... she doesn't want comfort from me?"

"You're not going to find out if you don't take the chance," Sypha pointed out gently.

He looked down at his hands briefly, considering. Then sighed and got to his feet, following after Anna... though he gave a perfunctory knock on the door before he stepped in so that he wouldn't startle her.

"Hm?"

"It's me... may I come in?"

There was a faint squeak, and a shuffling sound, then the door opened a crack. Most of her was hidden on the other side, but those green eyes peered up at him nervously.

"Did you need something?"

"Yes... but if you don't want me to come in, it's all right," he said, keeping his tone soothing.

There was a marked hesitation, then she stepped back, and pulled the door open enough so that he could slip inside. Politely he kept his eyes away from her, closing the door gently behind him, then extended one hand slightly.

"...Adrian?"

Confusion was better than unease.

"I wanted a hug," he said simply. Then he added just a touch of humor, "And maybe a kiss, if you're inclined to be generous."

There was a sound from her that could have been laughter at any other time, though she didn't take his hand.

"You're not... looking at me," she said after a moment.

"I don't want you to be uncomfortable," he replied gently. "This isn't a professional setting, it's a personal one, and I want you to be at ease."

"...I'm wearing a robe," she said after a moment, and there was something in the undercurrent of her voice that suggested he'd surprised and pleased her. Good. "It's safe."

Given permission he turned, extending his hand a little more to touch her cheek lightly. It was a robe all right. One of the short ones, tied tight around her waist, leaving her legs bare from mid-thigh down. Her hair was loose, auburn waves around her face, making her look a little younger, a little more vulnerable.

She was looking up at him with an unreadable expression, and after a moment he just cupped her face gently, letting his thumbs trail over her cheek. She leaned into the touch, and her expression took on an uneasy cast.

"You... didn't come to ask about...?"

He shook his head a little.

"Sypha wants to know too, and so does your cousin," he replied. "I wouldn't side-step them in this, and make you tell a difficult story more than once. Truly all I wanted was a hug."

Though he'd heard the innuendo riding Trevor's voice at his suggestion that he get it, he wasn't going to press for more than Anna was willing to give.

After a moment she moved in, and almost shyly looped her arms around his waist, tucking her head against his chest. He draped his arms gently around her shoulders, and rested his chin on her head, smoothing one hand over her hair as he throttled down his body's response to having her close. It wasn't the first time, of course... every time he'd held her recently, he'd wanted.

But he choked it down, held it back. They'd only truly kissed for the first time a few days ago. For some people, a few days was enough time. For her... he wasn't sure. And until he was sure, he wasn't going to let his desires run rampant over something so delicate.

So after a few moments he let his hands slide off her shoulders... and was surprised when she didn't emulate.

"Anna?"

She looked up at him, and there was a distinct blush to her cheeks that he couldn't help finding appealing.

"I'm... inclined... to be generous"

Adrian blinked, then smiled faintly at her. He'd mostly been teasing to ask for the kiss, but she didn't tease in that manner. She slid her hands around, up to his shoulders, and stretched up, pressing her mouth delicately against his. He slipped his arms around her again, and returned the kiss with care. Both because he didn't feel like getting dizzy again, and because he didn't want to press too hard against these new boundaries.

Which was why he pulled back, despite wanting more. She should be allowed to shower in peace, decide what she wanted to say-

The rest of his thoughts flew right out of his head when Anna inexpertly but determinedly kissed the side of his neck. Reflexes from what felt like a lifetime ago had him shifting his grip on her, arms moving down to her waist and pulling her up against him so that she could more easily kiss him like that. She didn't kiss hard, didn't try to leave a mark, but the fact that she'd done it at all left him feeling shaky with surprise.

"..Anna?"

Her fingers curled a little in his shirt, and he felt her shrink in a little on herself.

"S... sorry. I just..."

He shook his head a little, carefully, then gently put her back on the floor. He didn't, however, let her out of the circle of his arms, though he made sure she _could_ if she wanted.

"You surprised me," he said softly. "But in a good way. May I ask why you did that?"

She flushed, and looked away.

"...I just wanted to... to know..."

"Know what?"

Her voice dropped.

"...if you might... want me like that. Physically. The... the way Trevor and Sypha... I'm sorry, it... never mind."

She started to pull away, but he closed his arms around her a bit more, then shifted a hand until he could touch it to her chin, nudge her gently into looking up at him.

"Sexually?"

The blush on her cheeks grew darker, but she nodded after a moment. Adrian hid a smile, and let out a slow breath.

"Anna... do you want _me_ like that?" he asked gently.

She hesitated noticeably.

"I don't... know," she finally said. "I'm not... I've never... I don't usually look at people like that. With that in mind. I know Trevor does. Sypha too, sometimes. Mostly they look at each other like that. I'm... I'm not _opposed_ to the idea. It's just never been the first thing I look for with... with people."

He nuzzled her temple lightly, letting his fingers comb briefly through her hair.

"I don't either," he admitted. "I can admire a person for their beauty, the aesthetically pleasing qualities, but I must _know_ the person before I start feeling a sexual desire."

Adrian was quiet for a few moments, just letting her absorb the words.

"...do you know me?" she asked timidly.

He smiled a little, and lightly kissed her temple.

"I know enough," he murmured, his mouth just lightly brushing over the curve of her ear. "I'd like to show you some... if that's what you want too."

He felt her shiver a little, then she tipped her head up and gave him a small, shy kiss. He kissed back with care, letting his hands slide very slowly down her back, and back up. She curled a little closer to him, her fingers curling loosely in his shirt, and she made a faint sound of what seemed to be unhappiness when he pulled back. But he only tipped his head slightly towards the door at the other side of the room.

"You wanted a shower," he said softly. "It may be... prudent."

She blinked at him in confusion.

"First?"

He smiled a little, and nuzzled her softly.

"No. During."

He watched as she blinked, trying to follow what he was saying; the lightbulb went off a moment later and while she blushed, she also nodded.

Adrian loosened his hold on her, and let out a slow breath as she slid out of it. He slid a hand along her arm until he had her hand, twining his fingers with hers, then gently pulled her towards the bathroom.

* * *

Trevor and Sypha both looked entirely too smug, and maybe a little flushed themselves when Anna and Adrian rejoined them in the kitchen area. Anna eyed them, then decided it was probably better for her mental state if she decided to remain ignorant of whatever they'd done to occupy themselves while she was indisposed. She felt shy as it was, and this was already going to make for an uncomfortable story.

"I met Quintain Janaro when I was just starting college. I'd recently.. left home, and was just taking some general courses so I could have a foot in the door when I'd really decided what I wanted to do. He..." Anna hesitated. "We partnered up for a class project. I did my half, he did his, we got a good grade, and I thought that was the end of it. Except... except then he started showing up at the end of my other classes and walking me to the next one, or walking me to work. He even walked me home a few times. He never asked me to speak, and seemed to take it for granted that I didn't mind... listening.

"At first, I didn't," and she looked down at her hands, then laced her fingers together tightly. "I was... flattered, if confused, by the attention. I didn't understand what he saw in me, and he never tried to explain. It just... became assumed that we were a couple, and when he asked me to move in with him, I agreed."

"Why?" Sypha asked, confused.

"He presented the idea logically," Anna admitted, smiling a little ruefully. "I didn't have a lot of money to spare, and college in that trans-gov wasn't free. He said that since we got along so well, we should room together, and it would... free up some funds for both of us. We found a small apartment that was affordable for two college students, moved in, and... well, for a little while, it was okay. We split the rent and the utilities, I tended to buy the groceries and cook, Quinn... kept the apartment neat."

Adrian slipped an arm around her, and she leaned against him reflexively.

"I... I don't know when it started to change. I picked up a few more classes and had to take on fewer hours at work. He said that was fine, he had enough to spare to cover things."

Somewhere in that space, Quinn had asked her for sex, but she wasn't going to explain _that _aspect to anyone but Adrian. But she could remember it, the very brisk tone, the... lack of concern for whether or not she was comfortable. True, it wasn't a regular request, but the lack of care for her had come through the loudest in those moments.

Adrian's hand soothingly rubbed little circles on her back and she sighed.

"Slowly, Quinn started... paying for everything. And I mean _everything_. If I expressed an interest in something, I would later find it in my room. When we went out for food, he stopped letting me pay for my half. He... he _said_ it was so I could put my funds towards college, but he also criticized the choice of classes. He thought I wasn't... reaching for my full potential? Something like that.

"Suddenly, nothing I was doing was right. I wasn't behaving properly enough, I wasn't taking things seriously enough. Whatever it was, it wasn't _enough_."

Anna bowed her head, hands locked tight enough that her knuckles were white. Adrian's arm tightened around her, and she jumped a little when another hand covered hers. She looked up in surprise as Sypha squeezed gently, then again when Trevor leaned over in a sort of... draping hug.

It helped.

"He never... he never hit me. It was just... constant criticism. Control. I don't know, maybe he thought he was... was helping me be a better person?"

Trevor's snort over her head suggested he didn't buy that for a moment.

"Trevor got me out," and she leaned back a little against her cousin. "Well, he kind of pulled me out, really. I... I didn't know what I wanted any more, it was just easier to go with the loudest voice in the room. It... it was hard to adjust to being on my own again. Paying my own bills... I had to find a new job, cut back on classes... eventually I transferred out, as much to avoid running into Quinn on campus as I did to get to the school where I wanted to be."

"So... you would feel better if I didn't pay for everything about wherever we end up staying after the hotel?" Adrian asked.

Anna nodded a little, blushing a bit.

"I know it's... I know you can afford it. I know you want us all to... to stay together. I just..."

She fumbled, trying to find the right words than wouldn't insult him. She knew on a gut level that Adrian was not like Quinn; he wouldn't pay for everything as a means of controlling her, making her dependent on him. For one thing, Trevor would probably punch him. But...

"I need to _contribute_," she finally said. "So I don't feel like... like I'm being a burden. Even if that's not how you see it, that's how it feels to me."

Adrian nodded a little.

"Is there a general agreement on which place is best?" he asked.

"I'm still voting for the garden house," Trevor said, and she could hear the smile in his voice.

"I like that one too," Sypha said. "Especially if we can remake the garden however we want to."

Adrian nodded, then nudged Anna gently.

"Would you like to own the garden?"

She blinked, and looked up at him in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, what do you think of the garden in the pictures?" he asked. "Is a garden you'd enjoy?"

"It's... okay, I suppose. Not... I don't think it's what I would have done..."

He was going somewhere with this, and she didn't entirely understand it.

"If I gave you the garden to remake as you wanted, and could afford through your own wages... would that help?"

Startled, Anna leaned back a little, then looked up as Trevor chuckled a little.

"You were always trying to grow things," he said with a small grin. "Seems like a good compromise to me."

She looked at Adrian uncertainly.

"You wouldn't..."

"I will only do what you ask of me, if you ask it," he said with a small smile. "The garden, its layout, and all the plants would be yours to purchase, plot, and arrange as you desire. Will that help?"

Anna thought about it; living with them was more than prudent, at this point it was necessary. She didn't want to be in an apartment by herself where she couldn't hear Trevor and Sypha bickering playfully over something, or away from this beautiful, kind man who made her body and heart sing. But she needed, in some way, to feel like she was making a contribution _to_ that life. Needed something she could control herself, inasmuch as it was possible.

After a long moment, she nodded.

"I... yeah. I think so."

Adrian leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"Okay. Then we've decided. We'll still have to stay in a hotel for a few days, but I should be able to have the house paid for within a week after we land. We could, of course, make our own furniture," and he grinned a little as she giggled, "but I think it will work better if we tour the house and then use this company for what we want to buy."

"Do you think it'll be that easy?" Trevor asked. "Landing, I mean."

"I think I'm going to have to deal with an obnoxious amount of press, and it won't be very fun," Adrian replied. "But with you three? I will manage."

Anna leaned against him softly, and Adrian's arm tightened just slightly around her.

"It's so weird to think we're going to be on actual solid ground again in only a couple of days," Sypha mused, propping her chin in her hands. "We've been on ships for months..."

"And in the depths for years," Adrian murmured softly.

"...I have an idea," Trevor said after a moment. "Let's go and get something to eat, and save worrying about the rest for when we land."

"...sounds like a plan to me," Sypha said with a smile.

Anna glanced at Adrian who nodded slightly in agreement, then nodded a little herself. Soon enough they were going to have to deal with more people than they had in the past eight months, than Adrian had in over a decade.

But for the moment, they could just be a group of datemates and family, enjoying their last few days on a ship. And it would be enough.

* * *

Personal log, Anna Torres

Less than two days until we reach Torrens. We're set to dock at the Alterra spaceport on the largest moon, and then we'll shuttle down to Eltaria, the main city.

_Somehow_ we've managed to acquire a large number of things since we arrived on this passenger liner. I'm still not entirely sure how... Trevor thinks it's funny, especially since Alterra's the one basically footing the bill since we found Adrian. It feels strange to have clothing this nice, and I've never had jewelry at all before now...

I'm still a little uneasy about the house, but... a garden. A _real_ garden, that I can plan, pick plants out for, and change the way I want to, as I come to afford it...

Trevor says he's going to work in the Alterra warehouses for a while, and Sypha's going to be in one of the Eltaria labs. It's going to be strange, I think, all of us scattered apart for work. But...

But we'll all come back to the same place.

To each other.


End file.
